Mackenzie Dern Laughs At First Fight With Virna Jandiroba: “Barely even knew how to throw a jab back then”
Mackenzie Dern feels like she’s come a long way since her first fight against Virna Jandiroba.
Nearly five years ago, Dern scored a unanimous decision win over Jandiroba. On October 25, she’ll have the opportunity to go two-up on the Brazilian when they run it back in the UFC 321 co-main event at Etihad Arena. More importantly, the winner will leave Abu Dhabi as the undisputed strawweight women’s world champion.
Despite being known for their world-class grappling, Dern and Jandiroba’s first fight was contested entirely on the feet.
“I watched it recently, and I got butterflies in my stomach,” Dern said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “We were just brawling, and I barely even knew how to throw a jab back then. It was my first full camp with Pillo, I was still coming back from pregnancy, and I won that fight off grit and heart.
“I’m such a different fighter now, and I know Virna’s grown so much too. This fight is going to be totally different.”
Since defeating Jandiroba at UFC 256, Dern has gone 5-5 inside the Octagon, though she goes into her first title opportunity sitting on a two-fight win streak, besting Loopy Godinez and Amanda Ribas. Before that, she suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos.
Meanwhile, Jandiroba has put together a very impressive 6-1 run since losing to Dern half a decade ago. She heads to the UAE having won her last five fights, including a second-round submission victory over Lemos and, most recently, a decisive unanimous decision win against Yan Xiaona.
Jandiroba currently sits as a slight underdog, trending at +110 on multiple sportsbooks, while Dern trends as a -130 betting favorite.
