Mackenzie Dern is a freaking problem
The Mackenzie Dern who showed up Saturday would be a problem for anyone in the strawweight division.
In the tiresome revolving door universe of random UFC Apex events, sometimes even those who love the sport as much as we do can feel like things are getting a bit mundane.
Dern not only grabbed our attentions Saturday, she skyrocketed her stock to levels not seen previously. She told everyone at Wednesday’s media day that things had changed for her, her evolution as a fighter had finally turned the corner because of her personal life, and that she had figured it all out. Those are things we typically hear from fighters, but aren’t often proven true.
Dern not only backed up everything she said – she may have exceeded her own expectations. She came out guns blazing in every single round, hurling leather with mean intentions. I mean, hell, she even blasted Hill to the canvas with a massive standing knee. The accomplished jiu-jitsu practitioner showed massive physical and technical strides that were catalyzed by perhaps even larger mental ones.
After the fight, Dern put a bow on top of an already A-plus evening with a callout of Rose Namajunas, an opponent that captures the imagination of fight fans, makes sense in the matchmaking department, and would likely push her into title contention.
The spotlight has been on Dern since she emerged on the MMA scene and it’s nice to see that even though there were bumps in the road, the trajectory has been upward from Point A to today.
Source: MMA Junkie
