Mackenzie Dern Nearly Gave Up on MMA – How Dern Overcame Big Obstacles Ahead of UFC 321 Title Bid
Mackenzie Dern was close to calling it quits on her mixed martial arts career and touched on the moments that kept her going in the sport as she is just days out from a UFC title bid. Dern will clash with former foe Virna Jandiroba at UFC 321 for the vacant strawweight strap in the main event of the Abu Dhabi-based card.
The decorated submission grappler was taking part in her fight week media obligations with Dern addressing assembled reporters at the UFC 321 media day. When touching on the ups and downs of her fighting journey as she stands on the precipice of a chance to interweave herself into the history of the UFC’s 115-pound championship, with video footage provided by MMA Junkie, Mackenzie Dern said,
“I’ve had to go through everything — the losses, broken noses, the criticism. There were times I thought about going back to jiu-jitsu where it was easier because I was winning everything. But I decided to start over, to humble myself and become like a white belt again. I think that adversity is what will make me a great champion.”
Mackenzie Dern may not have been ready to fight Zhang Weili, but a UFC 321 win may change that
Mackenzie Dern was forthright in a recent interview regarding how she may not be ready for Zhang Weili right now, but things could change in the wake of this weekend. The Chinese combatant vacated her strawweight belt to move up to 125 pounds as Zhang Weili prepares to vie for Valentina Shevchenko’s flyweight belt at UFC 322.
Addressing the former ruler of her weight category in the context of how much timing can inform one’s fighting endeavours, Mackenzie Dern stated [via MMA Fighting],
“I definitely think that if Weili was champion right now of our division, and I mean, obviously, I wouldn’t say no to a title shot, but I don’t think I’d be ready to fight Weili right now at this moment of my career, you know what I mean? But I do think that if I do win the belt, and then whatever — if we were to fight like at the White House or something in June — I feel like I’d be way more ready and prepared to fight her.”
“I know it’s like, OK, it’s just like what? Like six months or eight months difference. How much better do you think you’re going to get in 8 months? But I think just winning the bell, there’s a confidence part that you get from that, and it’s just more training and more time. She was just so dominant in the strawweight division.”
