Mackenzie Dern showcased her skills in the main event of UFC Fight Night, dominating Angela Hill in a lopsided fight that went the distance. Dern, a two-time jiu-jitsu world champion known for her submission wins, spent most of the 25-minute bout in control on the canvas or in clinches, prime positions to set up a tap out. However, Hill defended gallantly, fending off several armbar attempts, and absorbing much punishment along the way which showed on her swollen face and nearly shut left eye.
Despite not adding to her record number of submissions, Dern showed a different dimension of dangerousness, using her standup game to succeed. Her early takedown attempts failed, but she got the fight to the canvas in the first round with a right hand that floored Hill. In the third, Dern wobbled her opponent with a lead knee to the chin. Dern landed a career-high 126 significant strikes throughout the fight, with 61 of those coming while in control on the canvas, where she spent nearly half of the fight.
Dern, who had lost two of her past three fights, was pleased with her performance, saying “I felt good. I landed a lot of my striking.” Two judges scored it 49-44 for Dern, and the third scored it 49-43.
Hill, who had a two-fight winning streak, saw her Octagon career land her behind only Max Holloway, with 1,820 significant strikes. However, Hill’s last ten fights have gone to decision, and she is 4-6 in those bouts.
Dern, who is ranked No. 8 in the ESPN strawweight rankings, called out former champion Rose Namajunas after the fight. “I’ve never fought an ex-champion. I feel like I could have that opportunity now,” she said.
Dern has four submission wins inside the Octagon, which are the most in UFC strawweight history. She is trying to catch up to Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira, former men’s lightweight champion, who has a UFC record 16 submissions. Gillian Robertson, who has competed at both flyweight and strawweight, has the most subs among women with seven.
Mackenzie Dern showcased her skills in the main event of UFC Fight Night, using her standup game to dominate Angela Hill. Although she did not add to her record number of submissions, Dern spent most of the fight in control on the canvas or in clinches, prime positions to set up a tap out. Hill defended gallantly, but absorbed much punishment throughout the lopsided fight. Dern’s career-high 126 significant strikes and her callout of Rose Namajunas after the fight have put her in a good position to succeed in the future.
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