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 […]
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.
Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez lived up to the expectations of the headliner of a UFC show. The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday (October 9, 2021) at the UFC Vegas 39 event from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility. The opening round was mostly Rodriguez as Dern was extending widely […]
Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez lived up to the expectations of the headliner of a UFC show.
The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday (October 9, 2021) at the UFC Vegas 39 event from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility. The opening round was mostly Rodriguez as Dern was extending widely to land strikes. Dern did try to clinch, but Rodriguez managed to separate. In the second round, Dern scored a takedown and got her back while working on the right arm. Dern got full mount and rained down strikes.
There was a swing in the third round as Rodriguez came out firing and landing at will while Dern had a hard time finding the range. The fourth round saw Rodriguez continue to outstrike her. Dern, who looked tired, could only land when she rushed and got in some combos. However, Dern would bull rush and lose her target.
Dern did get a takedown with 35 seconds left in the fourth round despite being busted up in the striking department still. They went back to striking in the final round. The judges gave the win to Rodriguez.
Peep the highlights of the fight courtesy of the UFC’s official Twitter account:
Dern had a 7-0 record in professional MMA including wins over Amanda Cooper at the UFC 224 pay-per-view event and her promotional debut against Ashley Yoder at UFC 222, where she scored a split decision win. Dern lost to Amanda Ribas at the UFC Tampa event in October 2019. Since that loss, she ripped off four straight wins over Hannah Cifers, Randa Markos, Virna Jandiroba, and Nina Nunes.
Rodriguez entered this fight with a 14-1–2 record. After going 9-0, she earned a spot on Dana White‘s Contender Series and after winning that fight, she got a UFC contract. Since being with the UFC, she has gone 4-1-1 including a TKO win over Amanda Ribas and a decision victory over Michelle Waterson in her previous fights.
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.
LowKick MMA will be bringing you UFC Vegas 39: Dern vs. Rodriguez results throughout the night (Sat. 9th. October 2021) from the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. Taking main event status at the UFC Apex facility, a high-stakes potential strawweight title-eliminator between the #4 ranked, Mackenzie Dern, and the #6 rated, Marina Rodriguez. in the midst […]
Taking main event status at the UFC Apex facility, a high-stakes potential strawweight title-eliminator between the #4 ranked, Mackenzie Dern, and the #6 rated, Marina Rodriguez.
in the midst of a four fight winning run, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace, Dern last featured at UFC on ABC 2 in April, besting the returning, Nina Nunes with a late opening round armbar win — subsequently becoming the most prolific strawweight grappler in the history of the promotion with four separate submission stoppage victories.
11-1 as a professional, Arizona-born grappler, Dern has managed to take an eye-catching six wins from seven Octagon walks, dispatching Ashley Yoder, Amanda Cooper, Hannah Cifers, Randa Markos, Virna Jandiroba, as well as the aforenoted, Nunes.
Taking headlining honors against Dern is Rio Grande do Sul native, Rodriguez, who enters the main event bout off the back of a two-fight winning run — the last of which came against strawweight mainstay, Michelle Waterson in a UFC Vegas 26 main event back in May.
Rodriguez, a product of Dana White‘s Contender Series — has also managed a knockout victory over common-foe, Amanda Ribas, as well as a pair of unanimous decision triumphs over Tecia Torres and Jessica Aguilar.
UFC Vegas 39 Results: Dern vs. Rodriguez
Main Card: (ESPN+ 4 p.m. ET)
Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez
Catchweight (174lbs): Randy Brown vs. Jared Gooden
Flyweight: Tim Elliott vs. Matheus Nicolau
Flyweight: Sabina Mazo vs. Mariya Agapova
Bantamweight: Chris Gutierrez vs. Felipe Corales
Preliminary Card: (ESPN+ 2 p.m. ET)
Heavyweight: Alexander Romanov vs. Jared Vanderaa
Featherweight: Charles Rosa vs. Damon Jackson
Strawweight: Lupita Godinez vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez
The weigh-in results for UFC Vegas 39 are in. There was one fight cancellation, but the main event remains intact. At tomorrow’s UFC Vegas 39, Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez will battle it out in the main event, with both women pushing to enter the title conversation. Our Doug Murray has provided a preview and […]
The weigh-in results for UFC Vegas 39 are in. There was one fight cancellation, but the main event remains intact.
At tomorrow’s UFC Vegas 39, Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez will battle it out in the main event, with both women pushing to enter the title conversation. Our Doug Murray has provided a preview and prediction for this contest, which you can view right here. The fight will move forward without a hitch after both women came in on target during the weigh-in ceremony. You can view the face-off between tomorrow’s headliners below.
There were issues with the co-main event between Randy Brown and Jared Gooden, however. Gooden missed weight by three pounds and will be fined 20% of his purse as a result. The fight will proceed as scheduled.
The lone fight cancellation was a middleweight bout between Deron Winn and Phil Hawes. Winn was reportedly removed from the bout due to non-weight-related issues, and Hawes rejected a short-notice bout against Chris Curtis.
UFC Vegas 39 takes place Saturday, October 9, 2021, from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. The entire card will stream on ESPN+, with the main card beginning at 4 PM ET, and the prelims kicking off at 1:30 PM ET.
You can find the weigh-in results and full lineup for tomorrow’s UFC Vegas 39 card below courtesy of UFC.com.
UFC VEGAS 39 MAIN CARD
Main Event – Women’s Strawweight Bout: Mackenzie Dern (114.5) vs Marina Rodriguez (115)
Co-Main Event – Welterweight Bout: Randy Brown (170.5) vs Jared Gooden (174)*
Flyweight Bout: Tim Elliott (125.5) vs Matheus Nicolau (125.5)
Women’s Flyweight Bout: Sabina Mazo (125) vs Mariya Agapova (125)
UFC VEGAS 39 PRELIMS
Bantamweight Bout: Chris Gutierrez (135) vs Felipe Colares (136)
Heavyweight Bout: Alexandr Romanov (260) vs Jared Vanderaa (265.5)
Featherweight Bout: Charles Rosa (145.4) vs Damon Jackson (145.5)
Women’s Strawweight Bout: Loopy Godinez (115.5) vs Silvana Juarez (114)
Lightweight Bout: Steve Garcia (155) vs Charlie Ontiveros (155.5)
Be sure to keep it locked on MMANews.com tomorrow for all the results, highlights, and updates from tomorrow’s UFC Vegas 39 card!
Mackenzie Dern faces Marina Rodriguez in her first main event this weekend and believes with a statement win, she could be next in line to challenge for gold. Dern’s threatening submission game is a constant threat she carries into each UFC fight. Of the 28-year-old’s eleven victories, eight have come by submission. The Brazilian grappling […]
Mackenzie Dern faces Marina Rodriguez in her first main event this weekend and believes with a statement win, she could be next in line to challenge for gold.
Dern’s threatening submission game is a constant threat she carries into each UFC fight. Of the 28-year-old’s eleven victories, eight have come by submission. The Brazilian grappling ace holds notable wins over Virna Jandiroba and Nina Nunes.
Ahead of her bout with Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 39, Dern spoke with Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com and shared how she will approach her upcoming fight. The strawweight is hoping to secure her first TKO victory under the UFC banner.
“I definitely know the way to win is to get it to the ground. If I can get it there hopefully I can get a submission or a TKO,” Dern said. “The plan is to take it to the ground and I have 25 minutes to do that, so that’s a goal… I think I need one more submission to have the most submissions in the women’s division. But, I have never had a TKO before, so maybe I try for that.”
The #4-ranked strawweight will be fighting to keep her spot among a busy division packed to the brim with contenders. Dern understands that it only takes one great performance to leapfrog a contender like Carla Esparza. Last month, Dern claimed Esparza was offered a fight with her but turned it down.
“Just with the UFC, if you say no or hold out you can get skipped and passed by. I think if I have a great performance, almost flawless I can go straight to the belt. I do want to get the belt. But, if I see some things I need to work on, then I wouldn’t mind having another fight before the belt,” Dern concluded.
With an understanding that the UFC moves on rather quickly with fights, the grappling ace is ready to capitalize on her first main event. Dern is fixated on fighting for a title if she defeats Rodriguez. The rising strawweight contender concedes that if she encounters problems that need attention, she would not object to taking another fight in the meantime to fix those issues.
Do you think Mackenzie Dern should fight for the title if she gets through Marina Rodriguez?
A pair of strawweights take center stage as UFC Vegas 39 features Marina Rodriguez facing Mackenzie Dern tomorrow night. Dern remains tied with Yan Xiaonan for the #4 ranking at strawweight. Rodriguez looks to earn top-five recognition with a win this weekend to advance her claim toward UFC gold. Rodriguez’s only loss in the UFC […]
A pair of strawweights take center stage as UFC Vegas 39 features Marina Rodriguez facing Mackenzie Dern tomorrow night.
Dern remains tied with Yan Xiaonan for the #4 ranking at strawweight. Rodriguez looks to earn top-five recognition with a win this weekend to advance her claim toward UFC gold. Rodriguez’s only loss in the UFC came to Carla Esparza in a razor-close split-decision loss on Fight Island. As her only defeat in the UFC, Rodriguez has proven time after time that her striking is her biggest asset in MMA. With six victories by way of TKO/knockout, Rodriguez is a nightmare to deal with if the fight remains standing.
Mackenzie Dern’s Ride Up The Strawweight Ladder
Dern, a renowned Jui-Jitsu specialist has made her mark in the UFC. Of Dern’s six UFC victories, four have come by submission. Ever since having a child, it appears Dern has a renewed desire to become champion. Since Dern’s loss to Amanda Ribas in 2019, the Brazilian-American has fired off four wins in a row. En route to Dern’s four-fight winning streak, the 28-year-old looked outstanding against her latest opponent Nina Nunes. The submission took under one round to secure, and it marked her second arm-bar victory in the UFC.
In September, Dern revealed that Esparza refused to accept a fight with her. Nevertheless, with Rodriguez as her target, the grappling ace will look to pull off a big win at UFC Vegas 39. The fight holds special significance as Dern is well aware that if she pulls off an emphatic victory, she could be next to challenge for strawweight gold.
In her performance against Virna Jandiroba, not only did Dern demonstrate toughness, but she showed how she responds when she is unable to get the fight to the canvas. Following a dominant third round, clearly Dern has made advancements with her striking and cardio.
During the fight, Dern was unable to get Jandiroba to the ground. She did, however, manage to pepper her opponent with constant knees in the clinch through the course of the fight. Despite injuring her nose, Dern powered through the blood and pushed the pace in the final round. After being awarded the unanimous decision victory, many were impressed to see Dern pick up a win without utilizing her elite Jiu-Jitsu.
With her submission attempt percentage above two per fifteen minutes, if Dern gets the fight grounded, the danger factor explodes. Despite her grappling prowess, her successful takedowns per fifteen minutes indicate that she scores less than one takedown in each three-round fight. On the other hand, Rodriguez is sporting a respectable 62% takedown defense and primarily does all of her handiwork while standing.
Rodriguez has looked incredible inside the Octagon. With signature wins against Amanda Ribas and Michelle Waterson, the Brazilian’s strength of schedule is downright impressive. Even though she took her only professional loss to Esparza back in July of 2020, many actually thought Rodriguez won the fight. After the scorecards were read, it was clear at the very least that Rodriguez inflicted more damage.
Rodriguez is on the cusp of a top-five ranking if she can utilize her boxing and pick Dern apart. Rose Namajunas is set to defend her title against Weili Zhang on Nov. 6 in the famed Madison Square Garden Venue in New York City, NY. Before the Nov. strawweight title fight, all eyes are on these two at UFC Vegas 39. One fighter will emerge as a fresh contender for the winner at UFC 268 going down next month–unless, of course, Carla Esparza has anything to say about that.
Prediction: Marina Rodriguez def. Mackenzie Dern via unanimous decision
Do you think Mackenzie Dern can earn a title shot with a dominant win against Marina Rodriguez?