Mackenzie Dern is one of two strawweights that will headline the first UFC event of 2025 this Saturday night at the Apex in Las Vegas.
With a huge fight for the division coming up next month, the submission specialist recently gave her thoughts on the next title fight at 115-pounds.
Weili Zhang is set to put the title on the line in the co-main event of UFC 312 on February 8 when she takes on Tatiana Suarez.
When looking ahead to the match-up, Dern said that she is rooting for one fighter in particular because it would be a better fit for her style should she earn a title shot:
“My focus is the belt,” Dern told MMA Fighting. “But honestly, I prefer that Tatiana wins the belt [laughs]. I’d much rather fight a grappler, so I’m rooting for Tatiana to go there and win because [fighting] Zhang Weili would be much harder. I want Tatiana to go there and score a takedown. And then we stay on the ground to win the belt [laughs].”
Dern is coming off of a win over Lupita Godinez last August but on January 11, she could put herself back into title contention by building on this momentum.
The 14-fight UFC veteran faces Amanda Ribas in a rematch after her former foe was the first person to beat her in MMA when they collided back in 2019.
Whilst Dern isn't sure that she will be able to put her opponent away in order to make a statement, the #6-ranked strawweight believes that it's going to be a battle for the full duration.
“I think this fight will go five rounds,” Dern said. “I normally think I’m getting the submission and I want a submission, but Amanda is tough. You have to stop her to win because she comes forward non-stop, she has heart and can take a punch. And she has good reach for the strawweight division, too. I don’t think it’s going to be easy to close the distance, I think he has good defense, and that’s why I think it’s going to be the fight of the night.”
