Mackenzie Dern – Page 9 – Syndication Server

UFC 273 predictions: Who are our two unanimous picks in Jacksonville?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC 272 main card, which features two title fights in Florida.

	Volkanovski vs. Jung	Sterling vs. Yan	Burns vs. Chimaev	Dern vs. Torres	Madsen vs. Pichel
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 47-19	Volkanovski (76%)	Yan (82%)	Chimaev (72%)	Dern (68%)	Madsen (62%)
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 47-25 2014 Champion	Volkanovski	Yan	Chimaev	Dern	Madsen
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 47-25	Volkanovski	Yan	Chimaev	Dern	Madsen
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 46-26	Volkanovski	Yan	Chimaev	Dern	Madsen
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 46-26 2018 Champion	Volkanovski	Yan	Chimaev	Dern	Madsen
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 45-27	Volkanovski	Sterling	Chimaev	Dern	Madsen
Nolan King @mma_kings 45-27	Volkanovski	Yan	Chimaev	Dern	Madsen
Simon Samano @SJSamano 45-27	Volkanovski	Sterling	Burns	Dern	Madsen
Brian Garcia @thegoze 42-30 2017 Champion	Volkanovski	Yan	Burns	Dern	Madsen
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 42-30	Volkanovski	Sterling	Chimaev	Torres	Madsen
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 41-31	Volkanovski	Sterling	Burns	Dern	Madsen
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 31-41	Volkanovski	Yan	Burns	Torres	Madsen

The UFC is back in Florida this week with two title fights at the top of the card.

UFC 273 takes place Saturday at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) takes on challenger [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC). Volkanovski is a huge -800 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Jung is +470. With Volkanovski the biggest favorite on the main card, it’s no surprise our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have him as one of two unanimous picks at 11-0.

In the co-feature, bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) meets interim champ and former titleholder [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC). Yan lost their first fight by disqualification. He’s a -475 favorite in the rematch and has a 7-4 lead in the picks.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is a 5-1 favorite to stay unbeaten against former welterweight title challenger [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC). Chimaev has a 7-4 picks lead.

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in a women’s strawweight bout with tight betting odds. Dern is -115, with Torres at -110. But Dern has a heavy 9-2 lead in the picks from our staff members.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is an underdog at lightweight against [autotag]Vinc Pichel[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who is a a-130 favorite. The comeback on Madsen is +105. Yet all 11 of our pickers are going with Madsen as our second unanimous choice.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Volkanovski (76 percent), Yan (82 percent), Chimaev (72 percent), Dern (68 percent) and Madsen (62 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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No more second-guessing: Mackenzie Dern aims to ‘trust in the process’ against Tecia Torres at UFC 273

Mackenzie Dern learned a lot about herself in the first 25-minute fight of her UFC career and hopes it will lead to victory at UFC 273.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] learned a lot from her first UFC main event, and hopes the takeaways from it will result in a victory at UFC 273.

On the heels of a four-fight win streak, Dern (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) entered the first five-round contest of her UFC career against Marina Rodriguez in November. It was a fight that went the distance and did not go in her favor when the judges rendered their scores. However, despite the loss, Dern found lessons to apply to her upcoming bout against Tecia Torres.

“I have 25 minutes of footage I can go back and just study,” Dern told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I think I matured so much as a fighter after that fight. I went through a lot of adversity in that fight. I had knee surgery later. Marina’s really experienced.

“So it just shows that when you get to the top, a little mistake or a little second-guessing – I guess I’d say I did a lot in that fight. I second-guessed myself on a lot of things even on the ground. I was thinking, should I ground and pound more? Should I go for the submission? Just go, you know? That’s what it’s about. We’re here to fight. Just trust in the process, trust in the training, and that’s what I was able to do in this camp.”

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Torres (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC), who will enter Saturday’s contest running hot on a three-fight win streak, presents similar challenges for Dern that she faced in the fight against Rodriguez. Both are sharp strikers who move quickly and are smart defensively.

“I’m excited to fight Tecia,” Dern said. “She’s a little bit similar as in striking, she has good footwork, kind of like Marina. So I’m happy I’m fighting someone with a little bit similar style and I can really just correct the things that I messed up in that fight and show that I’m ready to be top 5 and up.”

Check out the full media day interview with Dern in the video above.

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Spinning Back Clique: Heavy odds in Chimaev vs. Burns, UFC 273 title fights, more

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel discusses the hottest topics in the world of MMA on this week’s show.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, our panel Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells, and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss these five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia:

It’s UFC 273 fight week and we’re looking forward to two big title fights. In the main event, [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] puts his featherweight title on the line against “The Korean Zombie” [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag]. Volkanovski enters this one as a significant favorite, around a -850 favorite according to Tipico odds. With two title defenses under his belt, where would Volkanovski fall in the greatest featherweight of all-time conversation if he picks up his third on Saturday?
The co-main event of UFC 273 will see bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] face former champ, [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]. Their first meeting ended via disqualification due to an illegal knee from Yan, which led to a lot of criticism sent in Sterling’s direction. Considering the first fight wasn’t going Sterling’s way before the illegal knee, should he show up and turn in a dominant performance to defend his title, will he get the respect he deserves? How will his title reign be viewed?
The feature bout of Saturday’s pay-per-view event is a fantastic matchup between top welterweights [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] and [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]. While the matchup itself is intriguing for a lot of reasons, one thing that is turning a lot of heads is how wide the betting odds are in this one. Tipico Sportsbook has Chimaev as a -550 favorite while Burns is +370. Do the oddsmakers have this one right? Should Chimaev be such a wide favorite considering his competition thus far when Burns has been in there with the welterweight champ Kamaru Usman?
Keeping with the UFC 273 main card, there is an important strawweight battle between [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] and [autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag]. Although she’s entering on a loss to Marina Rodriguez, Dern was running hot on a four-fight win streak. She’ll look to snap the streak of Torres, who has hit a stride as of late a winner three straight. Both of these fighters were viewed as potential world champions, so who has more pressure to keep that alive heading into Saturday?
WrestleMania 38 was this past weekend and it featured a number of athletes who competed in MMA at the highest level, including former UFC champions [autotag]Brock Lesnar[/autotag] and [autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag]. We have some fun with this one and take our picks who would do well crossing over from MMA into the world of pro wrestling and vice versa.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

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UFC 273 pre-event facts: Will Khamzat Chimaev remain untouchable?

Go inside the numbers for the loaded UFC 273 event where Khamzat Chimaev will attempt to build on his insane 254-2 strike differential.

After a week hiatus, the UFC returns Saturday to open its April schedule with UFC 273, which takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

A championship doubleheader takes center stage atop the card. In the main event, [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) is set to put his featherweight title on the line against [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC). The co-main event will see bantamweight titleholder [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) meet interim champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in a unification bout rematch.

Several other ranked and notable fighters are scheduled to compete at UFC 273, as well, and for more on the numbers, check below for 70 pre-event facts.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres booked for UFC 273 on April 9

Ranked strawweights Mackenzie Dern and Tecia Torres will square off in a key matchup for the division.

Ranked strawweights are set to square off at UFC 273.

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) on April 9 at the pay-per-view event that doesn’t have a venue or location announced.

MMA Junkie confirmed the bout with two people close to the situation. Torres announced Wednesday on Twitter that the fight was booked.

I got my Top 5 fight 🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪 Cracking into that Top 5 April 9th at #UFC273 👊🏽 #TeamTiny #ToTheTop #TorresVsDern #LetsGo #ThisIsMyYear #Climbing @ufc pic.twitter.com/tvyY4OsZGE

— Tecia Torres (@TeciaTorres) January 12, 2022

Dern will look to rebound from her unanimous decision loss to Marina Rodriguez in her first UFC headliner last October. Prior to that, the jiu-jitsu ace won four straight, three by first-round submission. Dern also has earned four bonuses in her past five fights.

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Meanwhile, Torres is enjoying her best run in years. After dropping four straight bouts from 2018 through to 2019, Torres rebounded by winning three in a row, most recently defeating Angela Hill for a second time at UFC 265 in August.

With the addition, the April 9 UFC lineup includes:

Champ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung – for featherweight title
Champ Aljamain Sterling vs. interim champ Petr Yan – to unify bantamweight title
Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres
Irene Aldana vs. Aspen Ladd
Pat Sabatini vs. Gavin Tucker

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‘Touch of Gloves’: MMA figures show appreciation to those who shined brightest in 2021

It’s all love as 2021 comes to a close.

‘”As real as it gets” is the UFC’s slogan describing just how realistic the combat in our sport can be. But before fighters get to any of the face punching, they share a moment of respect, a moment of peace that represents their mutual acknowledgment for the struggle to arrive at this moment – the touch of gloves.

Fighters might beat each other up for 15 to 25 minutes, but the respect for one another and the sport of MMA never goes away. The martial arts spirt is always with them.

In this first edition of “Touch of Gloves,” we see that spirt come to life as fighters, coaches and more show appreciation to the people they think especially deserve a shoutout for what they did in 2021:

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] on [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]
[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] on [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]
[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] on [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] on [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag]
[autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] on [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag]
Marc Ratner on Dana White
Brendan Fitzgerald on John Gooden
Eric Nicksick on Laura Sanko
[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] on [autotag]Forrest Griffin[/autotag]
[autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] on Chael Sonnen
[autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag] on [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag]
Shannon Knapp on [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag]
[autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] on the UFC fans

Enjoy!

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UFC Fight Night 194 medical suspensions: Mackenzie Dern faces potential six-month suspension

Check out the full list of the medical suspensions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 194 in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] and eight other fighters are among facing potential lengthy suspensions following their respective bouts at UFC Fight Night 194.

The grappling standout was given an 180 day suspension unless cleared by a doctor for an injury on her right thumb following her decision loss to [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] in the main event of Saturday’s card in Las Vegas.

On Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of the UFC Fight Night 194 medical suspensions handed out by the Nevada Athletic Commission from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.

Below is the full list of medical suspensions from UFC Fight Night 194:

Mackenzie Dern reacts to UFC Fight Night 194 loss: ‘I have a lot to look back on and fix’

Mackenzie Dern releases statement following her decision loss to Marina Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 194.

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] is keeping high spirits despite her most recent setback.

The women’s strawweight contender saw her four-fight winning streak come to an end with a decision defeat to Marina Rodriguez in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 194 main event in Las Vegas.

Dern (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) had good moments in the bout when she threatened with her grappling, but her efforts weren’t enough to top the work Rodriguez did on the feet. The grappling standout sees the defeat as an important lesson and vows to comeback improved.

“Thank you everyone for all the support!,” Dern wrote on Instagram. “Yesterday wasn’t the result I was training for, but this fight is the biggest learning experience for me! Now I have a lot to look back on and fix to become a better fighter! For sure a submission would have been great but to have these rounds for me to work on is such a blessing! Congrats Marina for the win! I hope you guys enjoyed the fight and thanks @danawhite for the FOTN 💰 Thank you to my family, my team, my friends and everyone who continues to support me! Letssss gooo!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CU2r5gcpJZ-/

Dern had been in the midst of a comeback from her first professional defeat. The 28-year-old had three first-round submission wins and three “Performance of the Night” bonuses in her previous four bouts. The loss to Rodriguez ws Dern’s second career defeat since turning to professional MMA in 2016.

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UFC Fight Night 194 results: Marina Rodriguez survives grappling scares, outstrikes Mackenzie Dern

Marina Rodriguez defeats Mackenzie Dern in a unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 194.

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] keeps climbing up the UFC women’s strawweight rankings.

The Brazilian beat highly touted grappler [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 194. Rodriguez (15-1-2 MMA, 5-1-2 UFC) went the distance with Dern (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and took 49-46 across the three judges’ scorecards.

The women’s strawweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 194 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.

Rodriguez had a great showing ini which she was able to showcase her respected striking skills and resilience on the ground.

Rodriguez put on a striking clinic against Dern and landed kicks and punches almost at will. She was in control for the majority of the fight, but did get tested in two rounds.

Rodriguez had plenty to handle in Round 2, when Dern was able to get hold of her after a failed judo throw. Dern ended up on bottom, but quickly reversed the position and threatened with several submissions. Rodriguez looked to be in trouble at several points, but managed to see the end of the round.

In Round 4, Rodriguez found herself on bottom after a wild scramble toward the end of the round. But Dern was unable to lock up any submissions with little time to work with.

Other than those two times on the canvas, Rodriguez shined on the feet and scored big with volume and precision. Dern was unable to have successful offense in the standup game, which was the story of the fight.

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Rodriguez won for the third straight time on the heels of victories over Amanda Ribas and Michelle Waterson. The Brazilian has just one loss – a split decision to former UFC champion Carla Esparza.

Dern, who was mounting an impressive comeback from her first professional defeat, saw a four-fight winning streak come to an end. The jiu-jitsu standout had three first-round submission wins in her previous four bouts.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 194 results include:

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Twitter reacts to Marina Rodriguez’s striking clinic on Mackenzie Dern at UFC Fight Night 194

See the top Twitter reactions to Marina Rodriguez’s win over Mackenzie Dern in the UFC Fight Night 194 main event.

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] further validated herself as a strawweight contender to watch with a main event win over [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 194.

Rodriguez (16-1-2 MMA, 5-1-2 UFC) improved to 2-0 in UFC headliners when she scored a unanimous decision victory over Dern (11-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in the matchup of elite 115-pound fighters, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Rodriguez’s victory over Dern at UFC Fight Night 194.