Mackenzie dern celebrates victory in UFC Las Vegas 101 (Photo: Instagram/UFC ANZ)
Recently confirmed as a challenger for the strawweight (up to 52,1 kg) belt in UFC 321, Mackenzie dern revealed that she was not informed by the organization that her fight against Virna jandiroba would be worth the division's linear title. The Brazilian said she only learned of the detail after Dana White's official announcement on social media.
The belt became vacant after the then champion Weili Zhang decided to give up her position to move up a weight class. The Chinese fighter was confirmed in a fight for the flyweight title (up to 56,7 kg) against Valentina Shevchenko, at UFC 322...and opened the way for the duel between Dern and Jandiroba to crown the new champion.
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According to Dern, until a few weeks ago, the conversation revolved around a possible interim title. The change of plans, therefore, took the athlete by surprise, even though it was the biggest opportunity of her MMA career.
"So, I found out on Instagram that it was for the real belt when Dana announced it. I messaged my manager asking if it was the real one or the interim one, and he replied that it was the linear belt. This was very recent, but of course we were even happier," Dern said in an interview with The Ariel Helwani Show.
The fighter also explained how the process unfolded behind the scenes.
"Until three or four weeks ago, they were talking about the possibility of an interim belt, but they weren't sure. Then they said they would do it, but asked us to wait for the announcement. So, when it came out on Instagram, that was the first time I knew it would be for the linear belt," he said.
Mackenzie dern, a Brazilian born in the United States, is experiencing a great moment in her career, driven by victories over Lupita Godinez e Amanda ribas. On UFC 321In Abu Dhabi, on October 25th, she will face... Virna jandiroba, a rival he already faced in 2020 and won by the judges' decision.
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