7 burning questions ahead of UFC on ESPN 9: Can Tyron Woodley rebound?

MMA Junkie’s Simon Head takes a look at the fight card’s seven biggest storylines ahead of the UFC’s Las Vegas return.

After first career loss, can Mackenzie Dern bounce back into the win column?

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]’s return to the octagon was put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic, but now, after some slight adjustment to her schedule, the Brazilian grappling ace is ready to make a statement once again.

Dern suffered the first loss of her career back at UFC on ESPN+ 19 last October when she was outpointed by Amanda Ribas. Now she’ll be keen to bounce back into the win column against the gritty [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag], whose fighting spirit and refusal to take a backward step has seen her score notable wins over Polyana Viana and Jodie Esquibel in her four-fight UFC career.

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Dern’s grappling skills are beyond doubt, but it will be interesting to see what improvements she’s made to her striking game since her last outing.

Can Dern (7-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) bounce back with an impressive win to kickstart her climb up the strawweight ladder, or will Cifers (10-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) spring a huge shock and send the Brazilian to back-to-back defeats?

Next up: Same surname, different result for Chookagian?

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