Mackenzie Dern isn’t rushing for a title shot

UFC star Mackenzie Dern isn’t trying to rush her way to a title shot despite managing to submit Amanda Ribas in their rematch last night.

For the longest time, Mackenzie Dern has been seen as a real contender in the UFC’s strawweight division. However, after losses to Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos, many questioned whether or not she’d ever be able to reach the championship level.

Since then, she’s defeated Loopy Godinez and Amanda Ribas, with the latter of those two triumphs coming last night via submission. It served as revenge from their first meeting when Ribas was the one who got her hand raised against Mackenzie Dern.

In her post-fight press conference appearance, Dern made it clear that she’s happy to carry on being a contender for a while.

Mackenzie Dern isn’t overly eager for title shot

“I think I’m very hard on myself,” Dern told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I’m always trying to get better. Even when I have a great performance, I think I did so many things wrong. I think that it’s a lot of play messing in your head, so it can take your journey and maybe make it a little longer.

“But I think in the end, it really helps you evolve to be the best fighter possible if you can really look back and have constructive criticism on yourself. My idea isn’t to go fight for the belt and then lose it fast. My idea is to get the belt, and I want to be a dominant champion. I’m not in a rush to get there. I want to have good fights and I want to make a statement.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of Mackenzie Dern, there’s no denying that she’s made significant improvements in recent years.