Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Mackenzie Dern looks back on her loss to Amanda Ribas at UFC Tampa.
In a tough outing, only four months after giving birth, Mackenzie Dern lost the 0 in her professional MMA record at UFC Tampa. Judo blackbelt Amanda Ribas dominated the fight mostly in the striking department and picked up an impressive unanimous decision over the Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, winning all three rounds in all judges’ eyes.
Despite the disappoiting loss and in the manner that it came, Dern tells Combate she is not unhappy with her performance, believing she gave her best throughout the whole 15 minutes she stood against Ribas, and does not blame the loss her quick return after giving birth.
“The feeling of coming back was a great one. I missed it, and I was thisty for a fight. I like being out there, I like the energy. Unfortunately, I didn’t win, but it was important to me. Everytime I had an injury, I bounced back quickly. I think your time fighting is what gives you experience. You might be training, dieting, but you need that time inside the cage.”
“I know I didn’t win, but I trained my best, the most I could for this fight. “Dern continued. “I felt well, I didn’t feel bad during the fight, I felt like I had everything I needed to win the fight, but, unfortunately, Amanda was able to implement her strategy in the fight. I landed some shots at the start, but after our first exchange, I couldn’t find my distance anymore. From there on out, I felt like she was able to her distance better. She’s longer than me, I was throwing punches, but I couldn’t go 100%, because it wasn’t the right distance. Amanda is a tough girl, everyone in the UFC knows you can’t make mistakes. If you’re going to fight her, you need to everything right. In general, I felt well, like I had everything to win, but it wasn’t my time and I’m looking forward to fight again. I’m healthy, I can fight as soon as they call me.”
Since she suffered no major injuries and feels healthy after the loss, Dern intends to take only a few days off to spend time with her family and then get right back to the gym and start training for her next fight. If everything goes her way, Mackenzie would like to get back in the Octagon by the beginning of 2020, preferably in February.
“I want to fight in February, I think there will be a card in Brazil, I’d like to be on that card. I’m headed to Mexico now, my husband is competing in a surf competition and it’s our turn to support him. I’ll take about 10 days off and then we’re going to Brazil. I’ll keep training, but if my fight gets confirmed, I’d like to fight in February or March.”
Before the loss, Dern (7-1) was on a two-fight winning streak in the UFC, with a rear-naked choke victory against Ashley Yoder in her debut, and a split decision win against Amanda Cooper back in May 2018.