Mackenzie Dern seems like she’s come a great distance since her first struggle towards Virna Jandiroba.
Practically 5 years in the past, Dern scored a unanimous determination win over Jandiroba. On October 25, she’ll have the chance to go two-up on the Brazilian after they run it again within the UFC 321 co-main occasion at Etihad Area. Extra importantly, the winner will depart Abu Dhabi because the undisputed strawweight girls’s world champion.
Regardless of being identified for his or her world-class grappling, Dern and Jandiroba’s first struggle was contested solely on the toes.
“I watched it just lately, and I acquired butterflies in my abdomen,” Dern stated in an interview with MMA Preventing. “We have been simply brawling, and I barely even knew easy methods to throw a jab again then. It was my first full camp with Pillo, I used to be nonetheless getting back from being pregnant, and I received that struggle off grit and coronary heart.
“I’m such a distinct fighter now, and I do know Virna’s grown a lot too. This struggle goes to be completely completely different.”
Since defeating Jandiroba at UFC 256, Dern has gone 5-5 contained in the Octagon, although she goes into her first title alternative sitting on a two-fight win streak, besting Crazy Godinez and Amanda Ribas. Earlier than that, she suffered back-to-back defeats by the hands of Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos.
In the meantime, Jandiroba has put collectively a really spectacular 6-1 run since shedding to Dern half a decade in the past. She heads to the UAE having received her final 5 fights, together with a second-round submission victory over Lemos and, most just lately, a decisive unanimous determination win towards Yan Xiaona.
Jandiroba at the moment sits as a slight underdog, trending at +110 on a number of sportsbooks, whereas Dern tendencies as a -130 betting favourite.
