Mackenzie Dern can look forward to some major challenges following her statement victory at UFC 321.
Dern (16-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) finally achieved her dream of becoming a UFC champion on Saturday night at the Etihad Arena, outpointing Virna Jandiroba (22-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) over 25 minutes to claim the UFC women’s strawweight title.
The newly crowned champion adds the UFC belt to her collection of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world titles earned before making the transition to mixed martial arts in 2016.
Having now reached the pinnacle in a second discipline, Dern can turn her attention to the list of potential challengers awaiting her. Her predecessor, Zhang Weili (26-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who vacated the title earlier this year to pursue Valentina Shevchenko’s flyweight crown, could reemerge as a contender, according to Dern. She also considers one of Zhang’s former opponents a possible matchup.
"I don't know how much say I have now being a champion," Dern said at the UFC 321 post-fight press conference. "I don't know how much my word and my decisions get into play. But I'm here to defend it, so whoever gets sent to me, I'll be ready for. I don't know if (Zhang) Weili (will come back), but I would definitely like to fight Tatiana (Suarez). Maybe she gets one more fight in. I want to have a couple more fights with some grapplers."
Dern’s victory in Saturday’s co-main event didn’t come easy. She was forced to battle through 5 gruelling rounds against Jandiroba before getting her hand raised, and she revealed that she was slightly disappointed not to pick up a stoppage win on the night.
"I felt like I could win. I felt like the fight could be mine, but I wanted to get a knockout and be like a champion with a submission or a knockout so no one could say anything," Dern explained. "With MMA and the critics, it's always going to be like that."
