Current UFC women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern made her return to competitive grappling for the first time in seven years earlier tonight (Sat., Aug. 17, 2024) at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational from inside Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dern was booked against world-class grappling champion, Ffion Davies, who was the favorite to win Saturday’s special matchup. Unfortunately for Dern, Davies was not messing around and absolutely dominated the action from the opening moment. The first round could have been nearly been ruled a 10-8 as Dern was on the defensive from the jump.
The second round offered more of the same, but it didn’t last nearly as long. Davies remained aggressive with her attacks and found a window of opportunity to lock up a tight armbar, which led to a reverse triangle armbar. Dern, who is one heck of a grappler in her own right, didn’t stand a chance. Davies got the tap and the win.
Check out the video highlights below:
Ffion Davies taps Mackenzie Dern in the second round! #CJI pic.twitter.com/TRrnKYjGoQ
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) August 18, 2024
Dern, who last competed in professional grappling at a ADCC event back in 2017, is coming off a big decision win over Loopy Godinez at UFC Abu Dhabi just two weeks ago. This was a big opportunity to return to the sport of grappling that Dern couldn’t pass up. It didn’t turn out the way she had hoped, but it was good to see the UFC fighter back to her roots.
For official CJI: Day 2 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.