No need to prove anything.<\/p>\n
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern successfully defended her 115-pound strap against Gillian Robertson in UFC 330<\/a>\u2019s co-main event this past weekend (Sat., Aug. 15, 2026) inside Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n It was a dominant, one-sided unanimous decision victory. However, even after Dern\u2019s first successful title defense, one name continues to loom large over the division: former champion Weili Zhang.<\/p>\n In Zhang\u2019s absence, Dern defeated Virna Jandiroba to capture the vacant belt<\/a> and has now successfully defended it.<\/p>\n But the outside noise does not bother Dern, and the 33-year-old believes she is unquestionably the rightful champion.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, [I don\u2019t need to beat Zhang],\u201d Dern told reporters during the UFC 330 post-fight press conference. \u201cI felt like the champion before when I won the belt. I just think I solidified myself even more as the champ for the fans who would say that, but I don\u2019t think I need to beat Weili to be a champ.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, people retire\u2014I\u2019m not saying that\u2019s what she\u2019s going to do\u2014but the more defenses I can get with this and whoever is next, I think I\u2019ve proved that I\u2019m the champion,\u201d Dern continued. \u201cI mean, Gillian had a five-fight winning streak, Virna had a five-fight winning streak and I just got a four-fight winning streak. So, I don\u2019t know how much more I need to do to prove that.\u201d<\/p>\n There is absolutely no doubt that Dern is the undisputed UFC champion. She has now further solidified her reign with a successful title defense\u2014something Jessica Andrade and Carla Esparza were unable to accomplish as Strawweight champions.<\/p>\n Still, Dern finds herself in a similar situation to Daniel Cormier when he held the Light Heavyweight title while Jon Jones was suspended. Cormier was unquestionably the official champion, but many fans still viewed Jones as the division\u2019s true king<\/a> because he never lost the belt inside the Octagon.<\/p>\n Dern wants to return in early 2027 for her second title defense.<\/p>\n Hopefully, Zhang decides to show up by then.<\/p>\n