{"id":233040,"date":"2025-10-22T23:24:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T23:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/233040\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T23:24:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T23:24:13","slug":"mackenzie-dern-excited-for-chance-at-championship-in-321","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/233040\/","title":{"rendered":"Mackenzie Dern Excited For Chance At Championship In 321"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mackenzie Dern\u00a0<\/a>has been working toward a shot at the UFC Strawweight Championship on Saturday night in the UFC 321 co-main event<\/a> for the past seven-plus years. Since joining the UFC\u2019s active roster from Invicta in early 2018, she\u2019s made the walk to the fabled Octagon 15 times.

\"\"<\/a>During her 15-fight tenure with the UFC, Dern has fought twice with Amanda Ribas, going 1-1 in that series, most recently besting Ribas in the rematch on the first card of the year Jan. 11. Earlier this year, the UFC Strawweight Championship was vacated by Zhang Weili, who elected to try her luck at flyweight<\/a> for a title fight against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 322 next month.<\/p>\n

On Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the question of who will be the new UFC Strawweight Champion will be answered between No. 1 contender Virna Jandiroba<\/a> and No. 5 contender Mackenzie Dern. It\u2019ll be a five-round fight at five minutes per round.<\/p>\n

\"Mackenzie<\/a>November 11, 2023, New York, NY, United States: New york, NY: Mackenzie Dern during her fight in UFC Women s Strawweight bout during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. New York United States \u2013 ZUMAr187 20231111_zsp_r187_035 Copyright: xJustinxRenfroex
\nMackenzie Dern Embracing Opportunity in UFC 321 Saturday<\/p>\n

Wednesday, Mackenzie Dern met with the assembled press<\/a> for UFC 321 media day. During her pre-fight press junket, she discussed<\/a> her feelings about her chance at strawweight gold this coming weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just trying to grow the ranks and learn the whole sport,\u201d Mackenzie Dern began. \u201cThat set me up to be fighting for the title now, and it\u2019s really surreal how this happened. I think that the focus was always just to day after day, get better and put myself in uncomfortable situations and to feel that we made it here and that this is a great matchup for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

As previously mentioned, Zhang Weil\u2019s vacation of the strawweight championship has yielded to this coming Saturday\u2019s co-main attraction in Abu Dhabi. Much like the contest Mackenzie Dern had against Amanda Ribas to start 2025, this, too is a rematch, something that isn\u2019t lost on her.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, it could go any way,\u201d Dern said of Saturday\u2019s rematch, \u201cbut it definitely gives you a little bit, like you know it\u2019s possible. We just kept training. My last fight with Amanda was eight months ago. This whole camp, we were training everywhere, but we didn\u2019t train anything specific for Virna.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking Back at Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba I<\/p>\n

Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba met inside the fabled Octagon nearly five years ago. As will be the case in the rematch this weekend, this fight took place during a flagship event.<\/p>\n

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dern secured a unanimous decision victory over Jandiroba after 15 minutes of action. This time around, the stakes are higher and, by extension, the facts surrounding this fight are coldly simple:<\/p>\n

Chapter two of this story will be more dramatic given that there\u2019s a championship at stake and the victor of this fight becomes only the sixth different woman to hold the UFC Strawweight Champion since the 115-lb division\u2019s title was inaugurated almost 11 years ago.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/p>\n

Mackenzie Dern\u2019s journey in MMA has led her to a shot at the UFC Strawweight Championship on Saturday night during UFC 321. This is a renewal of a rivalry close to five years in the making.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, there\u2019s one simple question left to ask as we bid you farewell on this day:<\/p>\n

Will Mackenzie Dern go 2-for-2 in under five years against Jandiroba or will the latter even up the score? Tune in and find out.<\/p>\n

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