The next potential star in the UFC will make her debut on Saturday night at UFC 222, as Mackenzie Dern takes on Ashley Yoder. The fight will headline the FS1 portion of the preliminary card and it should be a showcase for Dern, who gets the UFC spotlight. Not only is Dern good looking, she is extremely talented. She is one of the best women in jiu-jitsu history, as she has three World Cup gold medals, and two World Jiu Jitsu Championship gold medals. She is 5-0 in MMA with three submission wins. This fight is one of four on the FS1 portion of the preliminary card, leading up to a five-fight pay-per-view card featuring Cris Cyborg vs. Yana Kunitskaya.
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Mackenzie Dern (5-0, UFC debut)
There is nothing not to like about Dern, as she is unbeaten and extremely talented. When was the last time you saw a UFC fighter making their debut listed as more than a 3-1 favorite? Dern took out Kaline Medeiros at Invicta FC 26 in her last fight.
Dern said to The MMA Lab that she was not sure she wanted to fight in the UFC.
“I really didn’t want to get hit in the face,” Dern said. Dern was outstanding in jiu-jitsu tournaments, ranked No. 1 in the world in 2017. She has won 12 world titles and 18 medals. Dern said she is ready for this fight. “I don’t really feel the pressure because I have been competing since I was 6 years old,” Dern said. “I am ready to show the world what kind of fighter I am. The UFC is the top of the mountain and I am ready to step in there and show them what I can do. I am aggressive, but I think MMA is way different than jiu-jitsu and I don’t just want to come in and show off my jiu-jitsu skills, I want to finish fights.”
Dern said she wants to fight at 115 for a while even if that means it takes longer to get a title shot. “I know people have told me that if I go up to flyweight (125) or bantamweight (135), it would get me a title shot quicker,” Dern said. “But I want to fight the top fighters and this is my competition weight and where I feel most comfortable.”
Ashley Yoder (5-3, 0-2 UFC)
Yoder has more UFC experience for whatever that is worth, considering she has lost both her fights. She usually wants to take her fights to the mat but that strategy may backfire against Dern who has strong submission skills. “The only thing I have noticed is that she is a southpaw and I have never fought a southpaw,” Dern said. “So, that is my only concern, but I am ready to take her to the mat and to stand and battle if I need to.”
UFC Picks
I usually don’t like laying more than 2-1, but I can’t see any way that Dern loses this fight. Not only does she have a lot more overall talent than Yoder, the UFC is banking heavily on Dern to win this fight. I will lay the price and take Dern on Saturday.
UFC 222 takes place on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are five fights on the main pay-per-view card beginning at 10 p.m. Eastern featuring Cris Cyborg vs. Yana Kunitskaya. There are seven preliminary bouts, with four on FS1, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern and three on UFC Fight Pass, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Women’s Featherweight – Cris Cyborg -1720 vs. Yana Kunitskaya
Featherweight – Frankie Edgar -181 vs. Brian Ortega
Bantamweight – Andre Soukhamthath -135 vs. Sean O’Malley
Heavyweight – Stefan Struve -220 vs. Andrei Arlovski
Woman’s Bantamweight – Ketlen Vieria -136 vs. Cat Zingano
Preliminary Card (FS1)
Women’s Strawweight – Mackenzie Dern -328 vs. Ashley Yoder
Lightweight – Beneil Dariush vs. Alexander Hernandez
Bantamweight – John Dodson -163 vs. Pedro Munhoz
Middleweight – Hector Lombard -160 vs. C.B. Dollaway
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Welterweight – Zak Ottow -236 vs. Mike Pyle
Bantamweight – Cody Stamann -159 vs. Bryan Caraway
Light Heavyweight – Jordan Johnson -283 vs. Adam Millstead
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