UFC News: Mackenzie Dern reacts to her first MMA loss
Mackenzie Dern suffered her first professional MMA loss at UFC Fight Night 161 at the hands of Amanda Ribas, The three-round fight went to the judges' scorecards and Ribas was handed the unanimous decision.
This was Dern's first loss after seven consecutive wins since her debut but the setback hasn't negatively affected the 28-year-old American's mindset.
Dern spoke to MMAFighting about her recent loss and said that it has only made her hungrier to return to the Octagon.
“It only makes me hungrier to get back in there. You’re a bit worried when you’re undefeated, (thinking) ‘is this opponent a good fight for me,’ thinking about strategies and whatnot. And now, after you have your first loss, you just want to get in there and fight and take risks."
Dern doesn't wish to stay on the sidelines for long and is willing to fight again on short notice.
“A fight shows up and I’m training, let’s do it. I’ll fight on short notice. I feel like I can fight better now. I’m hungrier to fight all the time. I want to get in there and do my best and continue to evolve as an athlete and as a fighter. To always choose fights that your coaches think are good for you is good, but being a fighter that fights any type of opponent is tougher. That’s life. You have wins, you have losses, but the plan remains the same; climb the rankings and win the belt. Nothing has changed.”
Before kickstarting a career in MMA, Dern rose to become one of the most accomplished women in submission wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu. She won gold medals at all the different types of IBJJF Gi Championships and has also been a No-Gi BJJ World Champion. She was also the ADCC World Champion in 2015 in the 60 kg category.
Dern is peerless when it comes to her grappling resume and she carried all that experience over to the unrelenting world of MMA.
Dern stated that while she missed being undefeated as a fighter, it's something that is a part of the sport. Dern added that she has lost a few times during her BJJ career, which has made her mentally strong towards losses.
“It felt so good. It was so cute to see that zero there, but it’s part of the sport, you know? I’ve lost many times in my jiu-jitsu career before winning all my titles, so it only makes you hungrier. It hurts the same way. We have less fights (in MMA), three or four times in a year, whereas in jiu-jitsu you can have three tournaments in a month, so you kind of get used to losing, because it’s hard to win all matches and all tournaments. It’s only one fight in MMA, so you feel it a little bit. (You think), ‘Damn, I’ve trained for this person only.’ In jiu-jitsu, you can fight again next week and maybe meet that girl again.
All said and done, Dern wants to get back to action sooner rather than later and has mentioned her desire to be a part of the massive UFC event scheduled to take place in Brazil in 2020.
“If God allows me, and I can accept a fight and my husband can stay with my daughter while I take a fight on a month’s notice, I’ll do it. I’ll be able to fight even more, because I want to get to the belt fast. Now that that zero isn’t there anymore, it’s a bit easier to get fights." H/t Credit: MMAFighting
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