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Snaps brief losing streak
Dern defeated Lupita Godinez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
ANALYSIS
Dern has had trouble in these close bouts throughout her career, so it was nice to see her get over the hump here against Godinez. Neither woman was able to gain much separation throughout the course of the fight. Mackenzie's opening round was the best of the three. She landed a takedown, racked up some control time, and finished the frame with a 49-17 edge in total strikes landed. Godinez got the bout even in Round 2 before Dern pushed the pace early in Round 3, landing another takedown and eventually doing just enough to earn the decision. Dern is now 31 years old and has proven capable of a quality performance here and there, but her 3-4 mark in her past seven fights dating back to October 2021 suggests she still isn't among the division's elite at this stage of her career.
Dern has had trouble in these close bouts throughout her career, so it was nice to see her get over the hump here against Godinez. Neither woman was able to gain much separation throughout the course of the fight. Mackenzie's opening round was the best of the three. She landed a takedown, racked up some control time, and finished the frame with a 49-17 edge in total strikes landed. Godinez got the bout even in Round 2 before Dern pushed the pace early in Round 3, landing another takedown and eventually doing just enough to earn the decision. Dern is now 31 years old and has proven capable of a quality performance here and there, but her 3-4 mark in her past seven fights dating back to October 2021 suggests she still isn't among the division's elite at this stage of her career.
Godinez up next
Dern is scheduled to compete against strawweight Lupita Godinez at UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3, per Dana White's announcement Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
Most recently, Dern took a relatively short-notice fight against Amanda Lemos and lost via unanimous decision at UFC 298. The former will look to bounce back by defeating Godinez, recently coming off a loss to Virna Jandiroba but ranked No. 10 in the UFC's strawweight rankings after earning four consecutive wins before said defeat.
Most recently, Dern took a relatively short-notice fight against Amanda Lemos and lost via unanimous decision at UFC 298. The former will look to bounce back by defeating Godinez, recently coming off a loss to Virna Jandiroba but ranked No. 10 in the UFC's strawweight rankings after earning four consecutive wins before said defeat.
Shows toughness in close loss
Dern lost to Amanda Lemos via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 28-29) at UFC 298 on Saturday in Anaheim.
ANALYSIS
Dern is going to receive plenty of praise despite the defeat and rightfully so. She nearly came storming back to upset Lemos despite fighting essentially the entire bout on one leg and appearing for all the world to be finished in Round 2. Yet, Mackenzie continued to battle, going as far to knock down her opponent in Round 3 and threaten multiple submission attempts. Dern's striking remains a work in progress. She's reckless at times and overly aggressive, and high-level strikers such as Lemos will make her pay for those mistakes all day long. Dern appeared to be making progress with four straight wins from May 2020 to April 2021, but she's sporting just a 1-3 record in her past four bouts. Set to turn 31 years of age shortly, the odds are against Dern putting it all together. On the bright side, she'll walk away with a $50,000 bonus after this bout was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
Dern is going to receive plenty of praise despite the defeat and rightfully so. She nearly came storming back to upset Lemos despite fighting essentially the entire bout on one leg and appearing for all the world to be finished in Round 2. Yet, Mackenzie continued to battle, going as far to knock down her opponent in Round 3 and threaten multiple submission attempts. Dern's striking remains a work in progress. She's reckless at times and overly aggressive, and high-level strikers such as Lemos will make her pay for those mistakes all day long. Dern appeared to be making progress with four straight wins from May 2020 to April 2021, but she's sporting just a 1-3 record in her past four bouts. Set to turn 31 years of age shortly, the odds are against Dern putting it all together. On the bright side, she'll walk away with a $50,000 bonus after this bout was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
Steps in for Suarez
Dern will fight Amanda Lemos at UFC 298 on Feb. 17, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Dern will have a month to prepare for the fight after Tatiana Suarez (undisclosed) withdrew from the event Tuesday. Dern dropped her most recent fight to Jessica Andrade in November and will be at a two-inch reach disadvantage against Lemos.
Dern will have a month to prepare for the fight after Tatiana Suarez (undisclosed) withdrew from the event Tuesday. Dern dropped her most recent fight to Jessica Andrade in November and will be at a two-inch reach disadvantage against Lemos.
No-shows UFC 295 loss
Dern lost to Jessica Andrade via TKO (punches) at 3:15 of Round 2 at UFC 295 on Saturday in New York City.
ANALYSIS
It's impossible to believe this is the same fighter that destroyed Angela Hill -- a noted Muay Thai specialist -- in a 25-minute main event this past May. Dern's striking looked crisp in that bout. Here, she looked like she never trained her stand-up a day in her life. Facing an opponent in Andrade that entered having lost three straight fights in which she was overwhelmed in each, Dern engaged Jessica in the brawl she was seeking and left her chin exposed in every single striking exchange between the two. It's no secret Dern's striking will never be on the level of her ground game, but any potential gains she appeared to make in the Hill fight were more than negated in this effort. Set to turn 31 years of age next March, Dern has alternated wins and losses in her past six fights.
It's impossible to believe this is the same fighter that destroyed Angela Hill -- a noted Muay Thai specialist -- in a 25-minute main event this past May. Dern's striking looked crisp in that bout. Here, she looked like she never trained her stand-up a day in her life. Facing an opponent in Andrade that entered having lost three straight fights in which she was overwhelmed in each, Dern engaged Jessica in the brawl she was seeking and left her chin exposed in every single striking exchange between the two. It's no secret Dern's striking will never be on the level of her ground game, but any potential gains she appeared to make in the Hill fight were more than negated in this effort. Set to turn 31 years of age next March, Dern has alternated wins and losses in her past six fights.