Mackenzie Dern suffered her first knockout loss of her career, facing criticisms on her striking and grappling techniques, personal struggles, and the potential for improvement in her UFC career.
Mackenzie Dern suffered the first knockout loss of her career against Jessica Andrade at UFC 295. This setback comes at a time when she has openly discussed personal struggles after an ugly divorce and changes to her training camp. Despite her grappling background, Dern’s striking performance in the fight was highly criticized by UFC welterweight Matt Brown, who expressed disappointment with her standup game. Furthermore, the commentary team mentioned that Dern no longer had striking coach Jason Parillo in her corner after working together for several years.
Brown sees room for improvement for Dern, emphasizing the importance of getting out of her comfort zone when preparing for a fight. He believes it is crucial for fighters to push themselves and endure intense training camps. Additionally, Brown criticized a grappling attempt by Dern, highlighting a common issue in women’s fights in the UFC involving head-arm throws. He also addressed the personal issues of both Dern and Andrade, sympathizing with their situations but emphasizing that distractions should not affect their UFC performances.
According to Brown, Dern’s potential is still vast, but it ultimately depends on her commitment to improving her standup and wrestling. He believes she has the athleticism and potential to reach the top level, but it will require hard work from her and her team to achieve that. Brown shared his thoughts on the matter in an episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast, where he discussed the need for Dern to make significant improvements in her game to reach her full potential.