The Brazilian-American strawweight Mackenzie Dern has constructed her UFC profession round this shoulder lock, turning what many contemplate a low-percentage submission into her signature weapon. Quickly she can be coompeting for the vacant strawweight world title at UFC 321. Forward of her October 25 matchup, she refelected on her championship profession in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Mackenzie Dern’s Favourite Submission
On her favourite submission, talking throughout a pre-fight UFC 321 press convention, she defined:
“My favourite submission is the omoplata. I assault it rather a lot — I did it towards Amanda Ribas, Marina Rodriguez, Yan Xiaonan. Even when I don’t end it, it’s all the time there. However no matter occurs, I simply see myself profitable.”
Omoplata
The omoplata may not seem like a lot from the surface, however for Mackenzie Dern, it represents a mix of approach, technique, and alternative. The omoplata, which implies “scapula” in Portuguese, makes use of the legs and hips to hyperextend an opponent’s shoulder joint past its regular vary of movement. The approach entails inserting one leg below the opponent’s armpit and rotating 180 levels, with the leg transferring over the opponent’s again and round their arm. The submission is accomplished by controlling the opponent’s physique and making use of stress to drive the shoulder into an unnatural place.
What makes Dern’s relationship with the omoplata significantly fascinating is how she employs it as a multi-tool reasonably than only a ending transfer. In opposition to Marina Rodriguez in 2021, Dern secured an omoplata on Rodriguez’s again however couldn’t full the submission earlier than time expired. Equally, in her battle with Yan Xiaonan, she used the omoplata to transition into an arm triangle choke, demonstrating the approach’s versatility as a gateway to different assaults.
UFC and BJJ
Her most up-to-date victory towards Amanda Ribas showcased this completely. With a few minute remaining within the second spherical, Dern threw up an omoplata to flee a foul place, utilizing it as a defensive software earlier than ultimately profitable by way of armbar within the third spherical. This sequence highlighted how the omoplata serves a number of functions in her recreation.
Dern’s mastery of this method stems from her extraordinary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background. She holds a third-degree black belt below her father Wellington “Megaton” Dias, himself a coral belt and BJJ legend. Her aggressive resume reads like a who’s who of grappling achievements: 2015 ADCC World Champion, multiple-time IBJJF World Champion, and the one feminine competitor to win gold medals in any respect 5 main IBJJF Gi championships.
Her father’s affect can’t be overstated. Wellington Dias, who earned his nickname “Megaton” for his explosive judo-inspired throws, obtained his black belt from Royler Gracie at age 18 and have become the primary coral belt to compete at IBJJF World Championships. This lineage reveals in Mackenzie’s technical strategy.
Within the UFC, Dern at present holds the document for many submission wins within the girls’s strawweight division with 5, tied for second-most in all UFC girls’s divisions. Her submission price of 53% throughout 20 skilled fights demonstrates how successfully she interprets her grappling expertise to blended martial arts.
The approach’s effectiveness lies in its misleading nature. Whereas opponents put together for Dern’s extra apparent submission threats like armbars and rear bare chokes, the omoplata typically seems organically from scrambles and transitions. In opposition to Tecia Torres, she had each kimura and leg lock alternatives however acknowledged being “too respectful” along with her ending makes an attempt. This mindset shift towards a extra aggressive strategy has coincided along with her current success.
Dern’s use of the omoplata additionally is expounded to bigger modifications in fashionable Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. As soon as thought of a low-percentage approach, the omoplata gained prominence within the Nineties by means of innovators like Nino Schembri. In the present day, it’s acknowledged as each submission and sweeping mechanism, precisely how Dern employs it within the octagon.
UFC 321
Her current efficiency towards Amanda Ribas demonstrated this evolution completely. Moderately than looking for the end in any respect prices, Dern used the omoplata menace to create scrambles, enhance positions, and in the end arrange the fight-ending armbar.
Mackenzie Dern is trying to make use of her favourite submission, the omoplata, this weekend when she faces Virna Jandiroba for the UFC strawweight world title dwell from Abu Dhabi.
