Mackenzie Dern’s last fight against Marina Rodriguez proved to be a tough one as she lost her first UFC main event. The fight also had title implications for the winner at strawweight.
The Brazilian saw the positive in the loss though. She believes it showed she wasn’t ready for her first UFC title shot yet.
“I think if I would’ve won this fight with Marina, I think they would’ve thrown me in to fight for the title,” Dern told MMA Junkie Radio. “I think it was really important this loss, because I don’t think I was ready. At the time, I thought I was ready. But once I realized I lost, it’s OK. This loss was at a good moment. Maybe I would’ve gone to the title and got my butt kicked.
“I definitely think everything is at the right timing. Honestly, now I think whoever is in the top five, I think I can beat any of them. Obviously I can’t make mistakes or things like that, but I think Mackenzie focused, training can beat any of the girls no matter what, no matter who’s got the belt. So, we’ll be prepared.”
Mackenzie Dern was able to find things she could work on after the fight was finished. She realized her climb to the UFC title was only just beginning.
“We always need to learn, winning or losing. Even on my wins, we’ve always gone back to the drawing board and tried to get better at different things,” Dern said. “We weren’t happy that I lost, but we weren’t so heartbroken. As soon as the fight finished, I knew like 10 things I needed to get better. The next day was back in the gym like talking to my coach, brainstorming, what do we need to work on – this, this and that. The next time, if I fight Marina rematch or whoever else, they’re gonna see a way more all-around fighter. For sure, (the loss) was one of the best things that happened to me just to give me a better vision of how I can get better.”
The UFC strawweight does not yet have a fight booked for 2022. There are bound to be many opportunities and it will be fun to see what happens next.
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