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Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Mackenzie Dern made her not-so triumphant return to action at UFC Fight Night 161 last night (Sat., Oct. 12, 2019) in Tampa, Fla., getting blanked on all three judges’ scorecards (30-27) in a one-sided loss to Amanda Ribas.
It was Dern’s first fight since May 2018 on account of her decision to get pregnant and have a child. Also her decision: to return to action just four months after giving birth. That act required a lot of convincing on her part to make UFC even consider it, and while it may seem like a not so wise move in retrospect, Dern doesn’t seem too troubled with the first loss on her now imperfect (7-1) professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record.
”No excuses!” she wrote in a statement released on Instagram. “Wins and losses are part of life! Thank you to all my family, my coaches, my sponsors and all the fans that continue to believe in me! I have so much ahead of me! Congrats to Amanda for the fight!”
What do you think of Dern’s performance at UFC Tampa, Maniacs? A sign that she came back too soon, or a sign she’s going to have more trouble like this against higher-end UFC opponents?
For complete UFC Fight Night 161: “Joanna vs. Waterson” results and play-by-play, click HERE.