Mackenzie Dern has come a great distance.
As soon as upon a time, the previous IBJJF and ADCC world champion was only a jiu-jitsu star attempting to flex her expertise inside a cage. Right now, she’s a champion as soon as once more, having defeated Virna Jandiroba at UFC 321 to seize the promotion’s vacant 115-pound title.
Dern’s efficiency, which noticed her outstrike Jandiroba by a margin of 249 to 208, was not simply the crowning of a brand new strawweight queen — it was the end result of years of onerous work and dedication to honing her expertise and turning into one of the vital well-rounded blended martial arts contained in the Octagon.
And the very best remains to be to return.
“If I can get to the group and the whole lot I did for this camp, think about the kind of beast I might turn out to be,” Dern mentioned throughout an look on The Ariel Helwani Present. “I educated this good for eight weeks, you realize? Think about I lived my entire life like this, simply each day. After all, I’m recovering proper now, however I simply really feel bizarre not doing what I used to be doing the final eight weeks. I need to maintain doing that extra.
“If I can maintain the group and the whole lot I did for this camp, and simply maintain it for six months, an entire yr, three years, think about the kind of beast I might turn out to be.”
Mackenzie Dern is prepared for her first challenger
What’s subsequent for Dern stays to be seen, however the BJJ bombshell actually isn’t shying away from taking over the baddest ladies within the division.
“I’m not gonna be like a child champion,” Dern mentioned. “I wanna be like no matter they [the UFC] need us to do — you realize what I imply? We’ll be prepared, and we’ll practice for that. I wanna beat the very best — I’m the very best proper now, however I wanna have the ability to beat whoever is coming.
“…I believe like in all probability somebody with a win streak,” she mentioned of her first title protection opponent. “I believe (Zhang) Weili, even when she was to lose to Valentina (Shevchenko), however her win streak, like her being the previous champion, that is smart. After which, Tatiana (Suarez) is coming off a win.”
Whereas Zhang Weili at the moment has her arms full, gearing up for a extremely anticipated conflict with Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 322 on November 15, Suarez is coming off a powerful bounce-back victory over Amanda Lemos, solidifying her because the No. 2 ranked contender within the division.
