"I look like a fricken high school girl" - When Mackenzie Dern admitted Joe Rogan made her cry after an "embarrassing" fight against Jessica Andrade
Former UFC champion Jessica Andrade finished Mackenzie Dern via TKO at UFC 295, marking the latter's first stoppage loss. While the fight itself was the main story, the harsh commentary from Joe Rogan and others also took center stage.
Rogan criticized Dern's striking throughout the fight, calling it "awkward" and "lost." He remarked on her flailing punches and lack of awareness in exchanges. After the stoppage, Rogan said it seemed like Dern's striking had "regressed" from her previous fight.
Dern, ahead of her recent outing at UFC 298, opened up about the impact of the commentary, admitting she felt "embarrassed" and "bad" after hearing it:
“When I heard the commentary like Joe Rogan, D.C., and stuff, that for me, that was — I felt embarrassed — I felt bad, I was like, ‘Dang, how did I just fight Angela Hill in May with like the best performance and now they’re saying I look like a fricken high school girl brawling and stuff like that?... For me, they’re the kind of critics that can influence a lot of people with what they say commentating."
She added:
"Man, I can’t believe they said that about me. I looked like that?! Then I started remembering, well, the same way they said good stuff about me they’ve said bad. It goes back-and-forth. It’s their job, they’re going to commentate no matter what. I still love them and everything like that. So, it wasn’t too bad. Just that first moment I watched the fight I was crying, like this is so embarrassing.”
Check out Mackenzie Dern's comments below (03:00):
Mackenzie Dern vows to bounce back after UFC 298 loss
Mackenzie Dern suffered a close decision loss to Amanda Lemos at UFC 298, extending her losing streak to two fights. However, despite the setback, Dern remains optimistic and dedicated to improvement.
Following the bout, Dern took to Instagram to express her gratitude for the support and acknowledge the need to learn from the loss:
"Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world” The results weren’t what I was hoping for! Thank you everyone for all the support! I love doing what I do! Now, it’s time to correct the mistakes and keep up the hard work! 💪🏼👊🏼 Congrats to @amandalemos_ufc for an amazing fight! FOTN for us! 🙏🏼"
Check out Mackenzie Dern's post below:
Her toughness impressed UFC CEO Dana White, who revealed he initially feared Dern had suffered a broken orbital during the fight.
Check out Dana White's comment on Dern's performance in the video below (11:25):