Mackenzie Dern Predicts Submission Victory At UFC 224
Making her promotional debut at UFC 222 earlier this month in Las Vegas, Nevada, Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Mackenzie Dern proved that she could compete on the sport’s biggest stage, as she picked up a victory over Ashley Yoder, although the fight also proved that she still has some holes in her game, specifically in the striking department.
Dern will now return to action at UFC 224, which is slated for May 12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in a bout against Amanda Cooper. Recently speaking on the fight, Dern admitted that she’d likely shy away from striking, predicting a submission victory for the Brazilian audience:
“I know she has two losses by submission,” Dern told Submission Radio. “So, I definitely know the girls she fought before, submission-wise, weren’t as good as I am on the ground, so I think this fight is gonna end up in submission. And my goal in this fight is not to be too much staying standing up (laughs). I don’t wanna stay too much standing up, I want to get the submission for Brazil, show like the real Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. So I’m gonna say submission.”
Due to her decorated grappling background, Dern, who has compiled a 6-0 record in mixed martial arts, has been labeled one of the UFC’s brightest young prospects at the age of 24.
Cooper, on the other hand, is 3-3 in her MMA career and is coming off of a TKO victory over Angela Magana at UFC 218 this past December. She’s currently 2-2 in her UFC career.
UFC 224 is set to be headlined by a bantamweight title fight between champion Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington.
