Mackenzie Dern ensured it was repeat rather than revenge in her rematch with Virna Jandiroba for the vacant UFC strawweight title on Saturday at UFC 321. The decorated jiu-jistu champion used her ever-evolving striking to pummel Jandiroba and claim a unanimous decision inside Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena.
“It feels amazing,” Dern said after capturing gold following a roller-coaster UFC tenure, struggling to hold back the tears.
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The strawweights had fought once before in 2020, with Dern winning a unanimous decision. But in the five years since, they fine-tuned their games and picked up the necessary wins to the point where they both earned a shot at the championship vacated by pound-for-pound staple Zhang Weili, who’s moving up to the flyweight division.
Jandiroba took a winning run into Saturday’s title fight — one that saw her submit Amanda Lemos and out-point Yan Xiaonan in back-to-back bouts. But she was second-best in the opening round against an aggressive Dern, who dominated whether the fight was fought on the feet or on the mat.
Dern (16-5) opened fast with leg kicks and sharp hands, shuffling forward behind early aggression. Jandiroba answered with a counter kick, then hit a double-leg takedown midway through the first, but Dern stayed dangerous off her back — controlling wrists, creating space, and landing from underneath.
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Dern’s consistent jab found its mark in the second, opening a cut under Jandiroba’s eye, yet Jandiroba (22-4) turned the tide by forcing the fight to the fence and hammering away with ground-and-pound.
Both came out hard in the third, knowing a competitive fight was up for grabs.
Jandiroba made her case for the win through her pressure and her unrelenting grappling, scoring damage as Dern’s right eye blackened. But while the Brazilian scored more takedowns than any of Dern’s previous opponents, the American accepted the position as she was so confident in her jiu-jitsu and fighting from the guard.
Both corners effectively told their fighters that if they won the final round, they would win the fight, and so neither Dern or Jandiroba let their assertiveness wane in the fifth. They spent most of their time on the mat, with Dern in closed guard but landing good shots, with her fists and elbows.
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By the time the fifth grew to a close, the statistics reflected the story of the fight — Jandiroba failed to out-land Dern in a single round (249 total shots for Dern compared to Jandiroba’s 208), but had fared better in grappling exchanges.
Ultimately, the judges agreed, with scores of 48-47 (twice) and 49-46 in favor of Dern.
“I think I’m up there with Fabricio Werdum as the only one to win ADCC, IBJJF and now a UFC title,” Dern said post-fight, thrilled at having taking her extensive jiu-jitsu accolades into the Octagon, having significantly sharpened her striking during her development as a mixed martial artist.
“We thought we could let loose on the striking because if we do go to the ground, I feel comfortable,” Dern said, expanding on her tactics. “I don’t want to get a round stolen.”
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Then, more emotion came as Dern’s daughter, 6-year-old Moa Dern Santos, joined her in the cage, and hugged her mother’s newly won championship belt.
For Dern, the black belt became gold, and her legacy leveled up.