Tag: Mackenzie Dern

Mackenzie Dern Dubbed One of the UFC’s Top 5 ‘Baddies’

Mackenzie Dern Dubbed One of the UFC's Top 5 'Baddies'Mackenzie Dern is one of the UFC’s top five “baddies” according to Aljamain Sterling’s girlfriend, Rebecca Cruz. Recently, the…

Mackenzie Dern Dubbed One of the UFC's Top 5 'Baddies'

Mackenzie Dern is one of the UFC’s top five “baddies” according to Aljamain Sterling’s girlfriend, Rebecca Cruz.

Recently, the ‘Funk Master’ welcomed Cruz on his YouTube channel where the two discussed a variety of topics in the world of mixed martial arts. During one portion of their conversation, Sterling asked Cruz to name who she would list as her five favorite “baddies” inside the Octagon.

It should come as no surprise that Dern, who just scored her 10th UFC victory via a third-round submission over Amanda Ribas, was near the top of the list.

But who were the other four?

As you can see in the above clip, Cruz put Brazil’s Tabatha Ricci at the top of her list, followed by Dern.

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Cruz then rounded out her top five with a trio of Brazilian bombshells, including Natalia Silva, Dern’s opponent at UFC Vegas 101, Amanda Ribas, and Polyana Viana, respectively.

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Mackenzie Dern Responds to Cruz’s Compliment

The clip captured the attention of Dern who offered up an appreciative reply in the comments.

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Who is on your list of the UFC’s top five baddest baddies?

Chael Sonnen Unleashes a Fiery Verdict on Mackenzie Dern After Ribas Victory

Chael Sonnen Unleashes a Fiery Verdict on Mackenzie Dern After Ribas VictoryChael Sonnen really wants to see Mackenzie Dern succeed, though he has no idea why. Nearly six years removed…

Chael Sonnen Unleashes a Fiery Verdict on Mackenzie Dern After Ribas Victory

Chael Sonnen really wants to see Mackenzie Dern succeed, though he has no idea why.

Nearly six years removed from their first-ever meeting inside the Octagon, Dern evened the series against strawweight rival Amanda Ribas, scoring a third-round submission victory via armbar to move her UFC record to 10-5.

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Over the years, Dern has emerged as a favorite among fight fans. Unfortunately, the BJJ sensation has done little to capitalize on her popularity — something Sonnen says goes back to before her move into mixed martial arts.

“I could not go back over Mackenzie’s career and hand her one compliment on anything she’s done from an entertainment aspect,” Sonnen said on Good Guy/Bad Guy with Daniel Cormier. “I couldn’t tell you one time she had a microphone in her hand and turned it into a pipe bomb. I could not tell you one opportunity that she pushed everybody else aside and came and got it for herself.

“I could tell you before she made her UFC debut, a guy named Chael Sonnen called her to do a pure grappling match, straight up jiu-jitsu against somebody called Miesha Tate, who was one of the biggest names in the whole sport, and there was no amount of money to get Mackenzie on the airplane to do the match. Her reasoning? She wants to focus on MMA. So, I’m attempting to explain to her that if you want to break into MMA, this is Miesha Tate, come get your money, and she never did it” (h/t MMA Junkie).

Chael Sonnen insists Mackenzie Dern is ‘Unaware of the sport’

With an impressive showing against Ribas and four Fight Night headliners in her rearview, Dern had an opportunity to get on the mic and shoot her shot. Instead, Dern remained humble and stressed that she was in no rush to challenge for a world title.

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In Sonnen’s eyes, it was a massively missed opportunity and further evidence that Dern is simply “unaware of the sport.”

“She decides she needs to get better at jiu-jitsu, she leaves her father, Wellington ‘Megaton,’ one of the biggest stars there is, goes out with Jason Parillo in California and starts hitting mitts which got her nowhere than missing punches and blocking shots with her face,” Sonnen added. “I’ve never seen Mackenzie get it right. Everyone likes her, myself included, everyone seems to be rooting for her for reasons I really can’t explain to you, myself included.

“She looks like she does really care about this sport. She talks about some of her hardships and things outside the ring which do compel you very much to her, but as far as understanding what makes dollars has got to make sense, she doesn’t know what any of those words mean. I’ve never seen a second-generation athlete so unaware of the sport that’s going on around them.”

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Chael Sonnen Doesn’t Hold Back In Criticism Of Mackenzie Dern: ‘So Unaware Of The Sport…’

Chael Sonnen often finds it frustrating when fighters do not capitalize on the moment by making the most out of their time in the spotlight. As one of the greatest talkers in the history of the sport, “The Bad Guy” was recently critical of one athlete in particular for this side of their personality and […]

Chael Sonnen often finds it frustrating when fighters do not capitalize on the moment by making the most out of their time in the spotlight. As one of the greatest talkers in the history of the sport, “The Bad Guy” was recently critical of one athlete in particular for this side of their personality and public persona.

Mackenzie Dern came out on top in the first UFC main event of 2025 when she avenged her loss to Amanda Ribas this past weekend. It was an important win for the #6-ranked contender who, with an armbar in the third round, became the first person to submit Brazil’s Ribas in her pro career.

When she was handed the floor in her post-fight interview, Dern spoke about wanting to add to her submission record as she shared the cage with her young daughter. When the conversation turned to what target she is pursuing next, the 31-year old said that her main focus is on building momentum by getting another win under her belt and whilst she would prefer to fight an opponent that is ranked higher than her, she admitted that this might not be possible because she has faced many of the top names in the division in the past.

On a recent episode of ESPN MMA’s Good Guy/Bad Guy alongside Daniel Cormier, Sonnen was fairly negative towards the submission specialist for not placing more emphasis on the entertainment side of the sport by being more assertive.

“I could not go back over Mackenzie’s career and hand her one compliment on anything she’s done from an entertainment aspect,” Sonnen said. “I couldn’t tell you one time she had a microphone in her hand and turned it into a pipe bomb. I could not tell you one opportunity that she pushed everybody else aside and came and got it for herself.”

Sonnen believes that whilst she does appear to win fans over, Dern doesn’t do anything intentionally to drive her own stock which he finds baffling.

“I’ve never seen Mackenzie get it right. Everyone likes her, myself included, everyone seems to be rooting for her for reasons I really can’t explain to you, myself included.

“She looks like she does really care about this sport. She talks about some of her hardships and things outside the ring which do compel you very much to her, but as far as understanding what makes dollars has got to make sense, she doesn’t know what any of those words mean. I’ve never seen a second-generation athlete so unaware of the sport that’s going on around them.”

‘Masterclass In Jiu-Jitsu’ – Fans React As Mackenzie Dern Avenges Amanda Ribas Loss With Classic Armbar At UFC Vegas 101

Back in October 2019, Mackenzie Dern was matched up with Amanda Ribas for her third UFC fight. After a 7-0 start in MMA, the decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner was handed her first taste of defeat at Ribas’ hands, dropping a decision in Tampa. Just over five years later, she can now say that she avenged […]

Back in October 2019, Mackenzie Dern was matched up with Amanda Ribas for her third UFC fight. After a 7-0 start in MMA, the decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner was handed her first taste of defeat at Ribas’ hands, dropping a decision in Tampa.

Just over five years later, she can now say that she avenged that loss after submitting Ribas in the main event of UFC Vegas 101.

The Brazilian ranked strawweight and flyweight was able to land some sharp elbows early. But Dern, the grappling specialist, was able to get Ribas on the ground for over half of the first round. During that time, she brought down some effective ground-and-pound.

Ribas worked her way back to the feet late in the first and then had more activity in a quiet second round. Dern, however, brought the action back to the ground in the third frame and locked up a classic, late armbar to score the submission.

In doing so, the elite BJJ artist became the first to ever submit Ribas inside the cage.

Mackenzie Dern Submits Amanda Ribas In Rematch Over Five Years In The Making

Dern, who looks to crack back into the top five of the women’s strawweight rankings, has now won two straight and three of her last five bouts.

Ribas, meanwhile, has now lost three of her last five fights.

UFC Fight Night Results & Highlights: Mackenzie Dern Submits Amanda Ribas

UFC Fight Night took place tonight from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights!  In the main event, top-ten strawweights (#6) Mackenzie Dern and (#8) Amanda Ribas clashed. While in the co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio faced Carlston Harris in a welterweight matchup.  UFC Fight Night Results: […]

UFC Fight Night took place tonight from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights! 

In the main event, top-ten strawweights (#6) Mackenzie Dern and (#8) Amanda Ribas clashed. While in the co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio faced Carlston Harris in a welterweight matchup. 

UFC Fight Night Results: Main Card

  • Women’s Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern def. Amanda Ribas via submission: R3, 4.56 
  • Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Carlston Harris via TKO: R3, 3.13
  • Middleweight: César Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan via KO: R1, 4.16  
  • Middleweight: Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis via TKO: R3. 4.59
  • Featherweight: Christian Rodriguez def. Austin Bashi via unanimous decision (29-28×3) 
  • Welterweight: Punahele Soriano def. Uroš Medi? via KO: R1, 0.31  

Preliminary Card

  • Flyweight: Felipe Bunes def. Jose Johnson via submission: R1, 2.04
  • Middleweight: Marco Tulio def. Ihor Potieria via TKO: R1, 3.04
  • Lightweight: Thiago Moisés def. Trey Ogden via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
  • Welterweight: Jacobe Smith def. Preston Parsons via KO: R1, 1.13
  • Women’s Flyweight: Ernesta Kareckaite def. Nicolle Caliari via split decision: (29-28×2, 28-29)  
  • Light Heavyweight: Bruno Lopes def. Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (29-28×3)
  • Women’s Strawweight: Fatima Kline def. Victoria Dudakova via TKO: R2, 4.27

Lightweight: Nurullo Aliev def. Joe Solecki via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28×2)

Preliminary Card Highlights

Fatima Kline def. Victoria Dudakova

In this strawweight matchup, Fatima Kline stopped Victoria Dudakova late in the second round.

Jacobe Smith def. Preston Parsons

Jacobe Smith earned a first-round KO of Preston Parsons in their welterweight fight.

Marco Tulio def. Ihor Potieria

Marco Tulio got it done in the first round with a TKO of Ihor Potieria.

Felipe Bunes def. Jose Johnson

In this flyweight bout, Felipe Bunes earned a first-round armbar submission of Jose Johnson.

Main Card Highlights

Punahele Soriano def. Uroš Medi?

Punahele Soriano took just 31 seconds to KO Uroš Medi? in their welterweight bout.

Christian Rodriguez def. Austin Bashi

In this featherweight matchup, Christian Rodriguez earned a decision against Austin Bashi.

Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis

In this middleweight bout, Roman Kopylov TKO’d Chris Curtis with a head kick in the final second of round three.

César Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan

César Almeida knocked Abdul Razak Alhassan out cold in the first round of their middleweight matchup.

Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Carlston Harris

Santiago Ponzinibbio got it done with a TKO of Carlston Harris in round three.

Mackenzie Dern def. Amanda Ribas

In the main event, Mackenzie Dern submitted Amanda Ribas with an armbar at the end of round three.