Mackenzie Dern believes that women in MMA who are looked at as being ‘beautiful’ have to prove themselves more than good-looking men do in MMA.
Dern was on MMA Fighting’s Portuguese-speaking podcast when she said, “You always have to prove yourself. You see men, if men are pretty in people’s opinion, men make fun of them, ‘He’s not that good.’ But women, no, they say, ‘Let’s all watch her fight because she’s beautiful.’ We go through that, you have to prove yourself even more.”(MMAFighting)
Dern most definitely has a point. Many people will just support a woman fighter just for their looks instead of how they fight. In order to keep the fan’s attention, good-looking women fighters have to outperform how they look with their skills inside the Octagon. Especially when you take into consideration that MMA fans are mostly made up of men rather than women. Dern is saying, it is hard for men to really pay attention to the action and the skill set they bring to the table when they are striking, much like Dern is.
Dern has a main event bout upcoming this weekend at UFC Vegas 39. She takes on Marina Rodriguez in a five round bout. Dern looks to extend her winning streak to five fights after this weekend. You can guarantee that she will be looking to finish Rodriguez by submission, as she has finished three of her last four fights. A win against Rodriguez could find Dern next up for a shot at the Women’s strawweight title. With her skillset in jiu-jitsu, Dern is a dangerous matchup for anyone in the division. Her toughness and heart have the makings of a champion.
Do you agree with Mackenzie Dern’s comments about ‘beautiful’ women in MMA?