Undefeated grappling prospect Mackenzie Dern (5-0, 3 SUBs) will make her UFC debut against Ashley Yoder (5-3, 4 SUBs) at UFC 222 on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card airs live on pay-per-view starting 10 p.m. ET following the FS1 prelims. Bet on the latest UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and get the latest previews, predictions and picks now.
Mackenzie Dern is coming to the UFC. Long regarded as one of the most exciting women’s strawweight prospects in the world, the accomplished grappler will make her octagon debut this Saturday against Ashley Yoder. Because of Dern’s accolades in IBJFF and the ADCC, her rise through Legacy and Invicta have garnered a lot of coverage.
Plus, she’s got the look and personality to be a star. The UFC must be salivating right now, but they’re taking it slow with their uber-prospect. Ashley Yoder is a middling talent on a two-fight losing streak and is the perfect opponent for Dern to build her confidence against.
The UFC odds at BookMaker.eu imply as much, making Dern a heavy favorite going into the scrap. Let’s take a look and break down the matchup.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Mackenzie Dern -327
Ashley Yoder +255
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: +100/-140
Coming Into the Matchup
Dern has yet to taste defeat as a pro, with a 5-0 record that includes three submissions. She hasn’t beaten anyone of note just yet, but that’s understandable since she’s only 24 and growing. A former No. 1 ranked IBJF competitor and a ADCC no gi world champion in the black belt division, Dern is going to be an issue for anyone who hates going to the mat.
Training at the MMA Lab alongside the Benson Henderson and Alex Caceres is going to help Dern transition from the mats to the cage.
Yoder has yet to win inside the octagon, losing both her appearances to Justine Kish and Angela Hill. After a promising 5-1 start to her career, the 30-year old appears to have hit a wall. Still, 4 submission wins shows she no scrub on the ground, though it’ll be interesting to see if she even tests her grappling against somebody like Dern.
Matchup Preview
What else can we say about Dern? In her last matchup, she bullied Kaline Medeiros - a decent fighter - with ease. Surprisingly, Dern showcased some of her burgeoning standup skills. It wasn’t pretty, but her hands were somewhat effective. Throwing wild, looping punches, Dern stunned Medeiros a few times. In the third round she dragged it to the mount and rolled into the full mount as easily as a cowboy getting on top a horse.
From there, it was all patience and poise, as Dern softened up her foe with punches until an armbar opening presented itself. Now it’s time to see what she has against UFC-caliber opponents. Obviously, her striking needs a lot of work, but her ground game is already among the best in the division.
Yoder’s preferred MO is to score takedowns, establish top control and land GNP. While her takedowns aren’t pretty, they’re normally pretty effective, completing them at a 50% clip. She was able to muscle both Angela Hill and Justine Kish to the mat when things got hairy on the feet. Considering that Hill is a feisty athlete and Kish is a very big strawweight, it’s impressive that Yoder had the strength to take each down and pull sweeps from the bottom as needed.
But taking down Hill and Kish is a different ballgame than trying to take down somebody like Dern. It takes natural strength and flexibility to be regarded as one of the greatest female BJJ practitioners of all time, and it’s going to take some serious skills to control her on the mat.
UFC Betting Tips
Dern will probably want to keep evolving her striking skills, and even then Yoder’s rudimentary standup shouldn’t give her any problems. The talent disparity here is basically the size of the Grand Canyon, and as soon as Dern wants to take this to the ground the writing will be on the wall. Take Dern to win, and use the price as a parlay.
UFC Odds Pick: Parlay Dern to win at -327
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UFC 222 takes place on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card airs live on pay-per-view starting 10 p.m. ET following the FS1 prelims.
