"These girls shouldn't be getting out of there alive"- Mackenzie Dern reflects on the mistakes she thinks she made in her last fight against Marina Rodriguez
Mackenzie Dern is set to take on Yan Xiaonan in the main event of UFC Vegas 61. The No.5-ranked women's strawweight is determined not to repeat the mistakes she made during her last five-round fight, where she lost against Marina Rodriguez.
UFC Fight Night on Oct. 1 has a main event. Mackenzie Dern (@MackenzieDern) vs. Xiaonan Yan will headline the event at location TBD, per multiple sources. Nos. 4 and 5 in division respectively. https://t.co/hqp0VcoHTw
Speaking at the media day for UFC Vegas 61, Mackenzie Dern opened up about her loss to Marina Rodriguez, stating:
"What I saw with Marina, what I felt with her - I had really good moments on the ground and with all my credentials in jiu jitsu these girls shouldn't be getting out of there alive. I mean not literally alive, but with a win. If I get to the ground, I should be finishing."
Dern continued by adding:
"I really trained hard to make sure that if I get to the ground, I'm gonna finish this fight so I'm confident. I think I'll be able to get to the ground and get the win."
Following her loss to Rodriguez, Dern was able to bounce back and pick up a split decision victory over Tecia Torres.
Watch Mackenzie Dern's full UFC Vegas 61 media day appearance below:
Mackenzie Dern was relieved by Khamzat Chimaev's weight miss
Mackenzie Dern recently shared that she was relieved to see Khamzat Chimaev missing weight by nearly eight pounds at UFC 279. Dern missed weight by seven pounds prior to her UFC 224 first-round victory over Amanda Cooper.
Speaking with Shakiel Mahjouri on his podcast SHAK MMA, Dern stated:
"After seeing Chimaev not make weight more than mine I was kinda like 'phew, okay'. That beat my record. I'm hoping people will talk about that and just forget about mine."
While Chimaev's weight miss forced the entire card to be reshuffled, Dern's cost her 30% of her fight purse. She was able to pick up a submission victory in the first-round.
Since missing weight over four years ago, Dern has yet to repeat her mistakes. She will look to make weight for her eighth consecutive fight at UFC Vegas 61.
A victory over No.6-ranked women's strawweight Yan Xiaonan could put Dern on the cusp of the women's strawweight title picture. Dern, however, doesn't believe that a victory will grant her an immediate title opportunity. She instead believes that any of the former women's strawweight champions is a more likely matchup.
Mackenzie Dern not expecting title shot if she beats Yan Xiaonan, feels a former champ is 'good next step' mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/09/ufc-fi…
Watch Mackenzie Dern's comments on Khamzat Chimaev's weight miss below (starting at the 13:25 mark):