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Mackenzie Dern touts Charles Oliveira as the best grappler in MMA: ‘He has the best Jiu-Jitsu’

Ahead of her upcoming UFC Vegas 61 main event this weekend in ‘Sin City’, grappling standout, Mackenzie Dern has touted former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira as the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player in professional mixed martial arts today. Dern, who currently holds the #5 rank in the official strawweight pile, is slated to take headlining […]

Dern, who currently holds the #5 rank in the official strawweight pile, is slated to take headlining honors for the second time in her Octagon tenure, drawing Chinese talent, Yan Xiaonan at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Returning to the winner’s enclosure following a unanimous decision loss to Brazilian striker, Marina Rodriguez in her premier promotional main event, Dern would land a split decision success against perennial contender, Tecia Torres at UFC 273 back in April of this year.

A hugely-decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player in her own right, Dern, a native of Arizona, holds a whopping five submission victories during his Octagon stint already, however, has touted the promotion’s most prolific submission artist, Oliveira, as the best grappler in mixed martial arts today.

“In my opinion, the best Jiu-Jitsu (fighter) in the UFC is Charles ‘Do Bronx’ (Oliveira),” Mackenzie Dern told MMA Fighting reporter, Damon Martin. “Because of his Jiu-Jitsu in MMA. In Jiu-Jitsu, he wasn’t a black belt world champion or ADCC world champion or anything so it wasn’t like in the Jiu-Jitsu world he’s the most famous guy in Jiu-Jitsu but in MMA, for me, he has the best Jiu-Jitsu in MMA.”

“Most submissions, knows how to play on his back, knows how to play on top,” Mackenzie Dern said of Charles Oliveira. “If you want to know the best Jiu-Jitsu in MMA, Charles ‘Do Bronx’.”

Mackenzie Dern also showers praise on welterweight contender, Gilbert Burns

Whilst Dern labels Oliveira as the best Jiu-Jitsu fighter in professional mixed martial arts today, the strawweight also touted Oliveira’s compatriot, one-time welterweight title chaser, Gilbert Burns as the “most high-level” Jiu-Jitsu practitioner in the sport.

“The best Jiu-Jitsu athlete that is in UFC now, that’s hard but ‘Durinho’ Gilbert Burns, for sure,” Mackenzie Dern explained. “His Jiu-Jitsu game when we were in the Jiu-Jitsu world, people stopped to watch him fight. World champion, ADCC, crazy and he’s able to do that in MMA. A Jiu-Jitsu guy, striking, he goes in, he’s not scared of getting punched and he has his takedowns and everything.”

“I think the most high-level Jiu-Jitsu guy in MMA now is ‘Durinho’ but the best Jiu-Jitsu for MMA, Charles ‘Do Bronx’.”

Exclusive | Mackenzie Dern on the benefit of having teammate Tabatha Ricci competing on the same upcoming card

Mackenzie Dern is set to headline the upcoming UFC Vegas 61, as she takes on Chinese standout Yan Xiaonan in a top 10 woman’s strawweight clash. Also competing on the same card as Dern is her training partner, Tabatha Ricci, who takes on a veteran of the sport in Jessica Penne. Dern and Ricci have […]

Mackenzie Dern is set to headline the upcoming UFC Vegas 61, as she takes on Chinese standout Yan Xiaonan in a top 10 woman’s strawweight clash.

Also competing on the same card as Dern is her training partner, Tabatha Ricci, who takes on a veteran of the sport in Jessica Penne. Dern and Ricci have been able to use each other as sparring partners for their upcoming bouts, a huge advantage considering their similar skills levels and weight classes.

In a recent LowKickMMA exclusive interview, Mackenzie Dern was asked about the benefit of sharing her training camp with a fighter like Ricci. She stated:

“It’s definitely good when you have a sparring partner kinda going through the camp at the same time because you guys both train hard. Of course, sometimes you have a good day or sometimes a bad day. But it’s different when you have a sparring partner that doesn’t have a fight or anything like that, so they’re just fresh. It’s definitely good when you have a sparring partner that’s on the same routine as you, so I’m definitely happy for that. It’ll be good.”

Mackenzie Dern predicts a submission finish over Yan Xiaonan

On October 1st, Mackenzie Dern will square off with Yan Xiaonan in yet another headlining bout. Dern is currently coming off a somewhat controversial split decision victory over Tecia Torres, and is now looking to firmly cement her place as a 115lb contender.

Her opponent, Yan Xiaonan, is currently riding a two-fight losing streak, having come up short against current champ Carla Esparza and elite contender Marina Rodriguez. However, prior to these two losses, Xiaonan had picked up a 14-fight unbeaten streak that included wins over the likes of Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Cláudia Gadelha and Angela Hill.

However, Dern does not intend to allow her opponent to return to winning ways, and has predicted yet another signature submission victory.

“I think [I win] by submission for sure. Hopefully performance of the night, that’s the goal. I’m trying to make that record for the strawweight division,” Dern said. “I have a long way to catch up to Charles “Do Bronx” [Oliveira] but I definitely am trying to get performance of the night…I see a submission coming.”

Who do you see winning this headlining bout?

Exclusive | Mackenzie Dern targets a performance bonus win over Yan Xiaonan: “I see a submission coming”

Mackenzie Dern is set to face Yan Xiaonan at UFC Fight Night on Oct.1. The No. 5 strawweight spoke with Lowkick MMA’s Alex Behunin about her training camp, thoughts on Xiaonan and her fight prediction. Dern (12-2) last fought at UFC 273 in April, where she earned a split decision win over Tecia Torres. The […]

Dern (12-2) last fought at UFC 273 in April, where she earned a split decision win over Tecia Torres. The 29-year-old has won five of her last six fights. She’s 6-2 in the UFC and has four submission wins since her debut in 2018.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt fights out of RVCA Training Center led by coach Jason Parillo. Since her last fight in April, Dern has stayed active in the gym. She believes her extended training camp has helped her better prepare for an important bout against Xiaonan.

“I’m enjoying it because I’m getting so much better. I’m evolving so much in the gym so it’s exciting,” Dern said. “It’s exciting to see how I will do. I really hope to get a solid win in this fight.”

Mackenzie Dern Believes Yan Xiaonan Is A Great Challenge

Xiaonan (15-3) is ranked No.6 in the strawweight rankings. The China native lost her last two fights against champion Carla Esparza and top contender Marina Rodriguez. Before then, she was on a 6-fight winning streak to start her UFC career. She has wins over Cláudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Angela Hill.

Dern sees her matchup with Xiaonan as the fight that makes the most sense in the strawweight division. She says the 33-year-old is a high volume striker who doesn’t back away from a scrap.

“She’s tough, man. She’s athletic. Her high volume from when I see her punches, they sting,” Dern said. “It’s definitely a little bit better when I fight someone who engages more and that isn’t scared of the engagement or isn’t so strategic but I definitely see some holes [in] her on the ground.”

With a headlining win over Xiaonan in October, Dern can position herself closer to a title shot. She has two goals for UFC Fight Night– get a finish over Xiaonan and earn the fourth bonus in her UFC career.

MMANews.com Weekly Interview Round-Up (9/3/22)

Following a bye-week for the UFC, our very own Curtis Calhoun and James Lynch have you covered for the upcoming weeks! Here’s your MMANews.com Weekly Interview Round-Up! Julian Erosa Talks Move To Vegas, Sparring, And UFC 279. Kicking off our MMA…

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Dern Backs Submission Grappling In UFC: “Would Be Awesome”

UFC women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern has admitted that it’d be “cool” to see the promotion incorporate submission grappling into its events down the line. Submission grappling is currently experiencing somewhat of a boost in mainstream martial arts, largely through its inclusion in prominent ONE Championship broadcasts. The Asian organization, which prides itself on offering…

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Mackenzie Dern Makes Her Prediction For Peña vs. Nunes 2

Mackenzie Dern is explaining what she feels will happen in the main event of UFC 277. The upcoming UFC bantamweight title fight between champion Julianna Peña and former champ Amanda Nunes has people talking. The nature of the first fight, with Peña co…

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