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Mackenzie Dern Releases Statement Following UFC Vegas 39 Defeat To Marina Rodriguez

Mackenzie Dern is taking plenty of positives away from her latest setback. Dern was outpointed by Rodriguez over five rounds in the UFC Vegas 39 headliner yesterday in what was a back-and-forth contest that earned Fight of the Night honors. Dern’s best and most decisive round was in the second when she controlled Rodriguez on […]

Mackenzie Dern is taking plenty of positives away from her latest setback.

Dern was outpointed by Rodriguez over five rounds in the UFC Vegas 39 headliner yesterday in what was a back-and-forth contest that earned Fight of the Night honors.

Dern’s best and most decisive round was in the second when she controlled Rodriguez on the ground for over four minutes in what could have been a 10-8 round.

However, the jiu-jitsu specialist was unable to go for the kill as Rodriguez survived and used her striking to eventually come out on top with a unanimous decision win.

For Dern, it snapped a four-fight winning streak and potential title contention in the women’s strawweight division. However, she remained positive in an Instagram post Sunday as she goes back to the drawing board.

“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!”

Despite the loss, Dern’s stock certainly rose and it’ll be interesting to see how she responds in her next outing.

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?

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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 […]

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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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mackenzie Dern (@mackenziedern)

“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.

Agapova On Maryna Moroz: “I’d Like To Punish This Bitch For Lying”

UFC women’s flyweight Mariya Agapova has vowed to “smash” former teammate Maryna Moroz for talking smack behind her back. Agapova earned a Performance of the Night bonus for her victory over Sabina Mazo at UFC Vegas 39 on Saturday. After dropping Mazo early in the third round, the 24-year-old masterfully latched onto her back and […]

Continue Reading Agapova On Maryna Moroz: “I’d Like To Punish This Bitch For Lying” at MMA News.

UFC women’s flyweight Mariya Agapova has vowed to “smash” former teammate Maryna Moroz for talking smack behind her back.

Agapova earned a Performance of the Night bonus for her victory over Sabina Mazo at UFC Vegas 39 on Saturday. After dropping Mazo early in the third round, the 24-year-old masterfully latched onto her back and sunk in a rear-naked choke, taking her UFC tally to 2-1.

It was Agapova’s first fight in over a year, and in that time, the Kazakh has had a series of scandalous accusations flung at her by former American Top Team peer Moroz. The Ukrainian claims that Agapova was forced out of the gym for a motley of indiscretions, including drug use, threatening to stab several individuals, and stalking the pregnant wife of a fellow fighter.

In July, Agapova’s manager, Alex Davis, denied the accusations, saying that while “Mariya went through some difficult moments” her expulsion from American Top Team “had nothing to do with drugs.”

Agapova Calls Out Moroz, Vows To “Smash Her Face”

Following her victory over Mazo, Agapova wasted no time in calling out Moroz, and in her post-fight interview, laid into her former teammate for running her mouth.

“Yeah, she’s just jealous,” said Agapova. “She’s jealous. Second, she’s sneaky. She’s trying to destroy my career. I lost sponsorship because of her interview and got really big trouble situation. And I would like to punish this bitch because she’s trying to destroy my career. I want to smash her.”

Mariya explained that the accusations, which she flatly denies, have severely damaged her reputation. Not only did she lose sponsorships, but also fans. The former Dana White’s Contender Series alum said that she was in fact expelled from American Top Team due to an argument with “some guy,” and counter-accused Moroz of cheating her manager out of mone before expressing her desire to “beat her ass” and “smash her face.”

So if all the sordid allegations leveled against her are untrue, why does Agapova feel her ex-teammate is lying?

“I think she’s just trying to put me down because I left, I have trouble, I have trouble with my health, and she just used it like my weakness to put me down, to destroy my career,” said Agapova. “And this is super sneaky and not nice. Like now, I’m good, and I (called her out for a fight). So if you want to talk shit, be ready to answer for your words.”

Would you like to see a bad-blood matchup between Agapova and Moroz?

Continue Reading Agapova On Maryna Moroz: “I’d Like To Punish This Bitch For Lying” at MMA News.

UFC Vegas 39 Bonuses: Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez Earns FOTN Honors

The UFC Vegas 39 bonuses have been released. The event took place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility. Headlining the card was a clash between Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez. This fight saw various swings and shifts. The first round was all Rodriguez, who was outlanding Dern. On the flip side, Dern […]

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The UFC Vegas 39 bonuses have been released.

The event took place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility. Headlining the card was a clash between Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez.

This fight saw various swings and shifts. The first round was all Rodriguez, who was outlanding Dern. On the flip side, Dern had a hard time finding her range. The second round Dern dominated as she scored a takedown and beat her up for roughly four minutes. The third round saw Rodriguez continue to outstrike Dern. Dern got punched a lot in the fourth round, but she did score a late round takedown. They went back to striking in the final round. The judges gave the win to Rodriguez.

The co-main event saw more action between Randy Brown and Jared Gooden.

This fight saw both guys come out swinging. Gooden hit a head kick in the first round, but Brown stayed tough and continued on. Brown had what appeared to be a broken big toe on his right foot yet he pushed through the pain. Brown had an issue with relying too much on loading up on big shots. Brown had a strong end to the second round with combos up against the fence. Brown had a strong final round. Dern did get a takedown with 35 seconds left in the fourth round and got some strikes in.

Peep the full list of performance bonus winners below.

Fight of the Night: Marina Rodriguez vs. Mackenzie Dern

Performances of the Night: Mariya Agapova and Loopy Godinez

Were the right choices made for the UFC Vegas 39 bonuses?

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 UFC Vegas 39 Bonuses: Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez Earns FOTN Honors at MMA News.

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

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 […]

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.