Tag: Mackenzie Dern

Marina Rodriguez Says Carla Esparza Should Get Title Shot Before Her

UFC strawweight Marina Rodriguez is poised for an imminent title shot following her win on Saturday, but she feels the only woman to have beaten her, Carla Esparza, deserves it first. Rodriguez once again proved that she’s one of the best in the women’s 115-pound division by earning a unanimous decision victory over Mackenzie Dern […]

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UFC strawweight Marina Rodriguez is poised for an imminent title shot following her win on Saturday, but she feels the only woman to have beaten her, Carla Esparza, deserves it first.

Rodriguez once again proved that she’s one of the best in the women’s 115-pound division by earning a unanimous decision victory over Mackenzie Dern at UFC Vegas 39. It wasn’t without adversity, however, with Rodriguez escaping a few precarious situations on the ground against Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Dern.

The Fight of the Night performance was Rodriguez’s third successive victory, having previously defeated Michelle Waterson and Amanda Ribas this year. Her last and only loss of her career came via a narrow split decision against Esparza in July 2020.

For Dern, the loss snapped her four-fight win-streak, and came against an opponent she didn’t initially plan on fighting. Last month, Dern said that Ezparza had turned her down before the matchup with Rodriguez materialized, in what she believed was an effort to hold out for a title shot.

Marina Rodriguez Dern
PHOTO: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

Marina Rodriguez Says Carla Ezparza Deserves Title Shot Next

Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas will run it back with Weili Zhang at UFC 268 on 6 November, but as to who will face the victor, it’s still anyone’s guess. In addition to Rodriguez, #3 ranked Esparza, who’s riding a five-fight win-streak, probably has the strongest case for a title shot. But there’s also Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who remains ranked at #2, despite not fighting since her instant classic with Zhang in March last year.

Speaking at the UFC Vegas 39 post-fight press conference, Rodriguez magnanimously conceded that Esparza deserves a title shot even more than herself, and that she should be facing Namajunas in November instead of Zhang.

Marina Rodriguez Esparza
Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez square off in July 2020. (PHOTO: ESPN)

“Yeah, that’s the thing,” said Rodriguez. “I really think that Carla was the one that should have been getting the title fight…but if the UFC does offer me a title fight ahead of her, who am I to say no to it? But I would much prefer (to) let her go fight for (the) title, maybe get that belt, and then we can do the rematch for the belt.”

Marina seems an incredibly humble person, however, she doesn’t have infinite patience.

“But I don’t have all the time in the world, so (she’s) gotta get moving,” said Rodriguez.

What do you think? Should Carla Esparza get a title shot before Marina Rodriguez?

Continue Reading Marina Rodriguez Says Carla Esparza Should Get Title Shot Before Her at MMA News.

Mackenzie Dern Issues Statement After UFC Vegas 39 Loss

Mackenzie Dern has issued a statement following her UFC Vegas 39 loss to Marina Rodriguez. At UFC Vegas 39, strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern hoped that she would inch closer to a world title shot by defeating fellow top-10 strawweight Marina Rodriguez. Dern’s argument would no doubt be boosted with such a win taking place under […]

Continue Reading Mackenzie Dern Issues Statement After UFC Vegas 39 Loss at MMA News.

Mackenzie Dern has issued a statement following her UFC Vegas 39 loss to Marina Rodriguez.

At UFC Vegas 39, strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern hoped that she would inch closer to a world title shot by defeating fellow top-10 strawweight Marina Rodriguez. Dern’s argument would no doubt be boosted with such a win taking place under the main event spotlight. It was not to be, however, and she came out on the losing end of a relatively decisive 49-46 unanimous decision.

Following the defeat, Dern took to Instagram to share what was bearing in her heart the next morning.

“Thank you everyone for all the support! Yesterday wasn’t the result I was training for, but this fight is the biggest learning experience for me! Now I have a lot to look back on and fix to become a better fighter! For sure a submission would have been great but to have these rounds for me to work on is such a blessing! Congrats Marina for the win! I hope you guys enjoyed the fight and thanks @danawhite for the FOTN ?
Thank you to my family, my team, my friends and everyone who continues to support me! Letssss gooo!”

Dern entered the fight as the #4-ranked strawweight, with Rodriguez ranked #6. The two should swap places come Tuesday, which would keep Dern firmly within the top 10. That being the case, it may not be long before Dern is able to re-establish herself as a top contender at 115 and maybe turn in a different outcome the next time she finds herself in a feature bout.

Do you think Mackenzie Dern will ever challenge for a UFC world title?

Continue Reading Mackenzie Dern Issues Statement After UFC Vegas 39 Loss at MMA News.

The Real Winners and Losers from UFC Fight Night 194

UFC Fight Night 194 went down on Saturday afternoon inside the UFC’s Apex facility in Vegas. The event was always short on big names, and after being hammered by a handful of last-minute shakeups, looked pretty darn rough on paper…

UFC Fight Night 194 went down on Saturday afternoon inside the UFC’s Apex facility in Vegas. The event was always short on big names, and after being hammered by a handful of last-minute shakeups, looked pretty darn rough on paper…

UFC Fight Night 194 Results: Rodriguez Beats Dern via Decision in Main Event

Marina Rodriguez took a unanimous decision from Mackenzie Dern in a classic striker vs. grappler matchup to end UFC Fight Night 194 from the UFC’s Apex facility in Las Vegas on Saturday…

Marina Rodriguez took a unanimous decision from Mackenzie Dern in a classic striker vs. grappler matchup to end UFC Fight Night 194 from the UFC’s Apex facility in Las Vegas on Saturday…

Fighters React To Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez At UFC Vegas 39

Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez was a solid fight for a UFC main event.  The showdown served as the main event of the UFC Vegas 39 event on Saturday night (October 9, 2021) from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility. As seen in the fight, the opening round saw Rodriguez take it as […]

Continue Reading Fighters React To Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez At UFC Vegas 39 at MMA News.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez was a solid fight for a UFC main event. 

The showdown served as the main event of the UFC Vegas 39 event on Saturday night (October 9, 2021) from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility.

As seen in the fight, the opening round saw Rodriguez take it as she had much better striking than Dern, who had to extend a bit or rushed in to land her strikes. There was a clinch moment with Dern pushing for it, but Rodriguez locked her up and separated. Moving along, Dern scored a takedown and got her back after some back and forth. Dern moved over to full mount. 

Rodriguez came out firing in the third frame while Dern had a hard time finding the range. Dern did try to clinch, but Rodriguez was landing big shots. The fourth round saw Dern bull rush and lose her target. Dern did get a takedown with 35 seconds left and got some strikes in. They went back to striking in the final round. The judges gave the win to Rodriguez.

This was an important contest for both fighters. After Dern lost to Amanda Ribas at the UFC Tampa event in October 2019, she ripped off four straight wins over Hannah Cifers, Randa Markos, Virna Jandiroba, and Nina Nunes. On the flip side, Rodriguez entered this fight with a 14-1–2 record and had gone 4-1-1 in the UFC including a TKO win over Amanda Ribas and a decision victory over Michelle Waterson  in her previous fights.

Let’s see how the fighters reacted to the outcome of this fight: 

UFC Vegas 39 Results: Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez, Randy Brown vs. Jared Gooden

MMA News has you covered with results, highlights, and post-fight tidbits from UFC Vegas 39. Be sure to keep checking the homepage for the latest news.

Continue Reading Fighters React To Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez At UFC Vegas 39 at MMA News.

Marina Rodriguez Outstrikes Mackenzie Dern For Decision Win – UFC Vegas 39 Highlights

Marina RodriguezMarina Rodriguez will likely overtake Mackenzie Dern into the official UFC strawweight top-five rankings off the back of tonight’s UFC Vegas 39 — handing the streaking, Dern a unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) loss in the headlining bout. A very promising opening round for the #6 ranked, Rodriguez, who appears to have the clear and […]

Marina Rodriguez

Marina Rodriguez will likely overtake Mackenzie Dern into the official UFC strawweight top-five rankings off the back of tonight’s UFC Vegas 39 — handing the streaking, Dern a unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) loss in the headlining bout.

A very promising opening round for the #6 ranked, Rodriguez, who appears to have the clear and definite striking advantage when compared with Dern.

The Brazilian manages to out-strength Dern during a brief clinch exchange at the fence as well, before the pair separate.

A hugely dominant second round from Dern, who manages to get Rodriguez’s back in a scramble, and almost set up a couple of armbars, even posturing up in full mount and raining down with ground strikes. Some good control time from the grappler as well. Possibly a 10-8 round for Dern even.

Rodriguez gets the swing of things in the third round, largely picking Dern apart on the feet, with the latter appearing quite tired in the middle of this fight. Rodriguez attempting to set up a rear high kick as Dern freezes in the pocket.

Another impressive round for Rodriguez who now leaves Dern in need of a finish in the fifth if she’s to win this main event, however, the grappling talent once more fount full mount with half a minute left in the round, and attempted to isolate an arm before the klaxon sounded.

Taking the fifth round as well, Rodriguez manages to score a unanimous decision victory over Dern, halting the four-fight winning spree of the Arizona-born contender.

Below, catch the highlights from Rodriguez’s headlining win over Dern.