Brazil will have another belt. On Thursday night (28), UFC president Dana White announced that Virna jandiroba faces Mackenzie Dernem in a Brazilian fight for the vacant strawweight title (up to 52,1 kg). The fight will take place at UFC 321, scheduled for October 25th, in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The announcement was made live on Instagram.
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At 36, Virna jandiroba is experiencing the best moment of her UFC career. A former Invicta FC champion, the Bahia native is on a five-fight winning streak, including a dominant performance against her former challenger yan xiaonan in April this year.
Mackenzie dern, in turn, finally achieves what she's always dreamed of: a title shot. The daughter of a Brazilian, the fighter carries the country's colors into the octagon and is a multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion. Despite fluctuating in recent years, she has remained a prominent figure among the division's top performers.
Fight marks rematch between Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern
The fight is a rematch. The two have faced each other before, in UFC 256, in December 2020, with victory of Mackenzie dern by unanimous decision.
The clash, at the time, was surprising due to an intense stand-up fight and defied expectations of a ground duel between two jiu-jitsu specialists.
BRAZIL WILL HAVE ANOTHER BELT! @VirnaJandiroba e @MackenzieDern compete for the strawweight title in #UFC321, in Abu Dhabi!
Former champion Zhang Weili moved up a weight class to face the flyweight champion at #UFC322, in New York!
See all these FIGHTS only on UFC Fight… pic.twitter.com/hW7TbiWm1b
- UFC Brazil (@UFCBrasil) August 29, 2025
Weili Zhang gives up her belt to face Valentina Shevchenko
The fight was confirmed after the champion Weili Zhang give up the title to move up a category. The Chinese woman is scheduled to face Valentina Shevchenko in a flyweight duel (up to 56,7 kg) at UFC 322 in November and left the belt officially vacant.
The scenario opened space for the Virna jandiroba e Mackenzie dern compete for the highest position in the category.
UFC 321 fights
Order date: October 25th, 2025
Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
COMPLETE CARD
Heavy weight (up to 120,2kg): Tom aspinall x Cyryl Gane – fight for the belt
Straw weight (up to 52,1kg): Virna jandiroba x Mackenzie dern – fight for the belt
Bantam weight (up to 61,2kg): Umar Nurmagomedov x mario bautista
Heavy weight (up to 120,2kg): Alexander Volkov x Jailton Malhadinho
Light heavyweight (up to 93kg): Aleksandar rakic x Azamat Murzakanov
Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Azat Maksum x Mitch Raposo
Heavy weight (up to 120,2kg): Chris Barnett x Hamdy Abdelwahab
Average weight (up to 83,9kg): Ikram Aliskerov x Jun Yong Park
Straw weight (up to 52,1kg): Jacqueline Amorim x Mizuki Inoue
Lightweight (up to 70,3kg): Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady x Matheus Camilo
Read More about: Mackenzie dern, UFC, UFC 321, Virna jandiroba
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