Highlights: Mackenzie Dern Wins Nailbiter In UFC Debut

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Billed as the next Ronda Rousey in an almost unprecedented stream of comparison, Brazilian jiu-jitsu champ Mackenzie Dern made her anticipated UFC debut on the preliminary card of tonight’s (Sat., March 3, 2018) UFC 222 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

When the dust settled on one of the most pivotal UFC debuts in some time, Dern had picked up a win.

But it wasn’t without a significant amount of adversity from the more experienced Yoder, who exhibited a ton of skill in a bloody, amazing fight.

Dern came out not afraid at all, swinging wildly and landing some power shots early:


But the veteran Yoder came back with some accurate shots of her own:


That left was so effective that it dropped Dern in the second frame, turning the tide in Yoder’s favor and winning her a round:


Dern came back to get a pivotal takedown in the third round, however, almost scoring a rear-naked choke with her vaunted Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills to score a split decision victory in a successful, but educational, Octagon debut: