Belt on the line! Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern have a Brazilian rematch at UFC 321

After Weili Zhang relinquished her belt, UFC confirms fight between Brazilians for the vacant title in October

M. Dern (left) defeated V. Jandiroba (right) at UFC 256. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

M. Dern (left) beat V. Jandiroba (right) in the UFC 256. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

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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.

See too

Carlos Prates during the ceremonial weigh-in for UFC 319; Photo: Reproduction Instagram/UFC
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Weili Zhang and Valentina Shevchenko are UFC strawweight and flyweight champions, respectively (Photo: Montage/SUPER LUTAS)

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

SUPER FIGHTS on Google News

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