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Mackenzie Dern is looking to fight Rose Namajunas, but she may not be available for a while.
The UFC strawweight division has a new champion at the helm. Carla Esparza has recently defeated former champ Rose Namajunas at UFC 274, and with that win the division has been shaken up.
For the other fighters in the top ten, a title shot is the goal, and an excellent way to get there is by taking out a former champion. Mackenzie Dern has been on a rise up the division for some time now and has this exact plan to get her to the top.
She spoke recently with Gabriel Gonzalez of Cageside Press to discuss her next moves.
“The thing was, OK, let’s see if we can get a fight with Rose,” Dern said. “The feedback was that Rose wasn’t planning on fighting anytime soon, so we’re kind of waiting. Waiting to see if she feels like she wants to fight anytime soon if she changes her mind.”
Mackenzie Dern
Dern last fought at UFC 273 back in April. She earned a win that night over a longtime veteran of the sport Tecia Torres. That win rocketed Dern into the number four spot on the rankings. Her only loss in the last two years came from Marina Rodriguez, who many believed would be the next title challenger.
Mackenzie Dern Is Keeping Her Options Open
Dern knows that she is close to a title shot herself and with Namajunas out of the question, she has a few backup options.
“The second option is Yan Xiaonan who is one behind me,” Dern explained. “She is coming off of two losses you know, and I think she has a little bit of injuries so she is not 100 percent sure when she is going to fight, and I heard she wants to fight Rose, too. So that fight we are waiting, I don’t know if she will change her mind too. So the third option for the UFC, if Carla doesn’t fight Zhang Weili, if that fight doesn’t happen and they decide to give an interim belt, who knows I mean the UFC can do whatever they want.”
Dern has set herself up nicely in the division, and with so many uncertainties, she is keeping her options open. Dern is a popular fighter has remained active, having six fights since 2020, so getting a new bout should not be too difficult.
Who do you think Mackenzie Dern should face next?
Mackenzie Dern is looking to fight Rose Namajunas, but she may not be available for a while.
The UFC strawweight division has a new champion at the helm. Carla Esparza has recently defeated former champ Rose Namajunas at UFC 274, and with that win the division has been shaken up.
For the other fighters in the top ten, a title shot is the goal, and an excellent way to get there is by taking out a former champion. Mackenzie Dern has been on a rise up the division for some time now and has this exact plan to get her to the top.
She spoke recently with Gabriel Gonzalez of Cageside Press to discuss her next moves.
“The thing was, OK, let’s see if we can get a fight with Rose,” Dern said. “The feedback was that Rose wasn’t planning on fighting anytime soon, so we’re kind of waiting. Waiting to see if she feels like she wants to fight anytime soon if she changes her mind.”
Mackenzie Dern
Dern last fought at UFC 273 back in April. She earned a win that night over a longtime veteran of the sport Tecia Torres. That win rocketed Dern into the number four spot on the rankings. Her only loss in the last two years came from Marina Rodriguez, who many believed would be the next title challenger.
Mackenzie Dern Is Keeping Her Options Open
Dern knows that she is close to a title shot herself and with Namajunas out of the question, she has a few backup options.
“The second option is Yan Xiaonan who is one behind me,” Dern explained. “She is coming off of two losses you know, and I think she has a little bit of injuries so she is not 100 percent sure when she is going to fight, and I heard she wants to fight Rose, too. So that fight we are waiting, I don’t know if she will change her mind too. So the third option for the UFC, if Carla doesn’t fight Zhang Weili, if that fight doesn’t happen and they decide to give an interim belt, who knows I mean the UFC can do whatever they want.”
Dern has set herself up nicely in the division, and with so many uncertainties, she is keeping her options open. Dern is a popular fighter has remained active, having six fights since 2020, so getting a new bout should not be too difficult.
Who do you think Mackenzie Dern should face next?
Click here to view the article.
The UFC strawweight division has a new champion at the helm. Carla Esparza has recently defeated former champ Rose Namajunas at UFC 274, and with that win the division has been shaken up.
For the other fighters in the top ten, a title shot is the goal, and an excellent way to get there is by taking out a former champion. Mackenzie Dern has been on a rise up the division for some time now and has this exact plan to get her to the top.
She spoke recently with Gabriel Gonzalez of Cageside Press to discuss her next moves.
“The thing was, OK, let’s see if we can get a fight with Rose,” Dern said. “The feedback was that Rose wasn’t planning on fighting anytime soon, so we’re kind of waiting. Waiting to see if she feels like she wants to fight anytime soon if she changes her mind.”
Mackenzie Dern
Dern last fought at UFC 273 back in April. She earned a win that night over a longtime veteran of the sport Tecia Torres. That win rocketed Dern into the number four spot on the rankings. Her only loss in the last two years came from Marina Rodriguez, who many believed would be the next title challenger.
Mackenzie Dern Is Keeping Her Options Open
Dern knows that she is close to a title shot herself and with Namajunas out of the question, she has a few backup options.
“The second option is Yan Xiaonan who is one behind me,” Dern explained. “She is coming off of two losses you know, and I think she has a little bit of injuries so she is not 100 percent sure when she is going to fight, and I heard she wants to fight Rose, too. So that fight we are waiting, I don’t know if she will change her mind too. So the third option for the UFC, if Carla doesn’t fight Zhang Weili, if that fight doesn’t happen and they decide to give an interim belt, who knows I mean the UFC can do whatever they want.”
Dern has set herself up nicely in the division, and with so many uncertainties, she is keeping her options open. Dern is a popular fighter has remained active, having six fights since 2020, so getting a new bout should not be too difficult.
Who do you think Mackenzie Dern should face next?
Mackenzie Dern is looking to fight Rose Namajunas, but she may not be available for a while.
The UFC strawweight division has a new champion at the helm. Carla Esparza has recently defeated former champ Rose Namajunas at UFC 274, and with that win the division has been shaken up.
For the other fighters in the top ten, a title shot is the goal, and an excellent way to get there is by taking out a former champion. Mackenzie Dern has been on a rise up the division for some time now and has this exact plan to get her to the top.
She spoke recently with Gabriel Gonzalez of Cageside Press to discuss her next moves.
“The thing was, OK, let’s see if we can get a fight with Rose,” Dern said. “The feedback was that Rose wasn’t planning on fighting anytime soon, so we’re kind of waiting. Waiting to see if she feels like she wants to fight anytime soon if she changes her mind.”
Dern last fought at UFC 273 back in April. She earned a win that night over a longtime veteran of the sport Tecia Torres. That win rocketed Dern into the number four spot on the rankings. Her only loss in the last two years came from Marina Rodriguez, who many believed would be the next title challenger.
Mackenzie Dern Is Keeping Her Options Open
Dern knows that she is close to a title shot herself and with Namajunas out of the question, she has a few backup options.
“The second option is Yan Xiaonan who is one behind me,” Dern explained. “She is coming off of two losses you know, and I think she has a little bit of injuries so she is not 100 percent sure when she is going to fight, and I heard she wants to fight Rose, too. So that fight we are waiting, I don’t know if she will change her mind too. So the third option for the UFC, if Carla doesn’t fight Zhang Weili, if that fight doesn’t happen and they decide to give an interim belt, who knows I mean the UFC can do whatever they want.”
Dern has set herself up nicely in the division, and with so many uncertainties, she is keeping her options open. Dern is a popular fighter has remained active, having six fights since 2020, so getting a new bout should not be too difficult.
Who do you think Mackenzie Dern should face next?
Click here to view the article.
