Prepare To Fall In Love With Mackenzie Dern, Who Makes Her UFC Debut This March

BloodyElbow- It looks like Mackenzie Dern’s plan has come to fruition. The former multiple time world championship grappler made her MMA debut just back in July of 2016, with her eyes on getting to the world’s largest MMA promotion.

Now sitting at an undefeated 5-0, MMA Fighting reports that the 24-year-old will be facing off against Ashley Yoder at UFC 222. The ‘Spider Monkey’ is 5-3 in MMA having debuted back in 2014. The former TUF 23 cast member made it to the UFC off the back of an Invicta victory over Amber Brown, but has dropped both of her two bouts in the promotion – losing decisions to Justine Kish and Angela Hill.

Mackenzie Dern is a name that’s been floating around the MMA community for over two years now, and around the Brazilian jiu jitsu community for much longer. She is one of the planet’s greatest female grapplers, if not the greatest. She made her MMA debut in 2016, and quickly proved her jiu jitsu experience outweighed any of the holes in her game against five opponents. Sure, her striking and defense could use work, but I’ll be damned if she doesn’t have power behind a vicious overhand right that usually staggers whoever’s hit with it enough for Dern to grab their neck and squeeze it tight. Mackenzie is going to become a star in the UFC fairly quickly no matter how her debut fight goes, so I’m just going to warn you, you will fall in love with her.

I can’t tell you how her fight with Ashley Yoder’s going to go, because we’ve only really seen Dern against competition you’ve never heard of, but I think it’s solid matchmaking and she has a good shot. She did have some issues making 115lbs in the past, which seemed to be a little hangup for the UFC, but they’ve opened a Flyweight Division since, so I doubt it’s an issue anymore. Worst comes to worst, you throw her in that division. Here’s some videos of Mackenzie just being an awesome badass: