Mackenzie Dern is saying that big changes are coming.
Dern has been at the center of controversy recently. She’s coming off a first-round submission victory over Amanda Cooper at UFC 224. The problem lies in her failure to make weight. Dern went into the bout 7.5 pounds over the strawweight limit.
This isn’t the first time Dern has had issues making the strawweight limit. While she weighed in without incident for her UFC debut, she missed weight twice under the Legacy banner. Many have questioned just how seriously Dern is taking her mixed martial arts career.
During a recent edition of MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour,” Dern insisted that she will make weight consistently:
“I want to stay at strawweight. Hopefully, with the help of UFC Performance Institute it will be a lot easier and it will all be under control. If they told me, ‘It’s not good for you to fight at 115’, then I would go to 125. I’ve made 115 before, three times, so I think it’s a better weight for me. I can guarantee [that I won’t miss weight again].”
Angela Hill recently blasted the UFC rankings panel for knocking her off the top 15 in favor of Dern after she missed weight by a significant margin. Eighth ranked 115-pounder Felice Herrig agreed with Hill.
Dern still has plenty of hype surrounding her. Known for her skills in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Dern’s transition to MMA has been smooth outside of the weight issues. She has garnered a professional mixed martial arts record of 7-0. In those seven victories she has four submission finishes.
If Dern fails to make weight again, then it would be the fourth time she’s come into a bout over the originally scheduled weight limit. At that point, she’d likely be forced to move up to flyweight.
Can Mackenzie Dern stay at strawweight?
