UFC’s Mackenzie Dern ready for any kind of fight

3 years ago 355

The tyre inactive rests by the wall, a subtle reminder of however acold Mackenzie Dern has come.

On a precocious September time wrong the RVCA Training Center successful Costa Mesa, Dern ignores the tyre and goes done her workout: conditioning, sparring, grappling.

The two-time World Jiu-Jitsu Championship golden medalist knows she volition request each 3 erstwhile she takes connected Marina Rodriguez successful the main lawsuit astatine UFC Fight Night 194 connected Saturday successful Las Vegas.

But 14 months ago, erstwhile she moved from Arizona to Huntington Beach and began focusing connected improving her striking with Jason Parillo astatine RVCA, it was conscionable Dern and the tire. Boxing basics 101.

“That’s the 1 happening that my different coaches conscionable benignant of similar … I didn’t recognize wherefore I was doing anything, you know? Just benignant of left, close and you know, spinning backmost fist,” the seemingly ever smiling Dern (11-1) said past week during a workout. “The archetypal time I came present and (Parillo) enactment maine connected the tyre and I’m not hitting anything, I’m conscionable moving connected my basal and it’s precise simple, you know? Just similar connected the tire, not hitting the container oregon anything.

“And I realized similar the archetypal week, conscionable throwing punches and having my base, it was mode easier you cognize coming in. He truly knows what he’s talking about.”

Dern, 28, volition request to beryllium connected constituent Saturday against chap Brazilian Rodriguez, 34, who has amassed a 4-1-2 grounds successful the UFC.

Rodriguez (14-1-2) is expected to person an vantage connected the feet. She made it into the UFC with a TKO triumph connected Dana White’s Contender Series and has vanquished the 1 hostile – Amanda Ribas by TKO successful January – to whom Dern has mislaid successful her pro MMA career.

But connected the mat, wherever Dern has earned 4 of her six UFC victories via first-round submissions, the borderline is clear.

“I deliberation it’s not a concealed – instrumentality her to the ground. She’s a striker, I’m a grappler. But I’m prepared to spell 5 rounds lasting and warring too,” Dern said. “But I privation to combat again too. I deliberation the little harm I tin take, for each the scrapping, the brawls and striking, you tin beryllium a small much injured. Then conscionable instrumentality it to the ground. Choke, armbar, possibly spell to sleep, you know? No injuries and that’s good. So that’s the plan.”

Ten months ago, Dern hadn’t travel adjacent to mastering the creation of striking, but she showed plentifulness to impressment her renowned boxing coach.

At UFC 256 successful Las Vegas, Dern returned to her country astatine extremity of the 2nd round, her chemoreceptor bleeding profusely courtesy of a Virna Jandiroba knee. When she asked if her chemoreceptor was broken, Parillo assured her it was conscionable a cut.

Was it broken? Absolutely. Parillo brushed disconnected the query and admired his fighter’s durability and toughness arsenic she went retired and won the 3rd circular connected each 3 judges’ scorecards, which won her the combat 29-28 connected each 3 cards.

“She went retired and kicked (butt) that 3rd round. She didn’t spell successful determination and melt due to the fact that she was acrophobic astir her nose,” Parillo said. “That’s thing that you can’t teach. That’s thing that’s successful her guts.”

Parillo says Dern has much guts than astir of the guys grooming astatine RVCA, though the statement is much southerly and graphic than that.

He watches Dern bring her 2-year-old daughter, Moa, with her to grooming arsenic she balances warring and parenting with her husband, Wesley Santos, who is simply a nonrecreational surfer.

And portion Dern mightiness beryllium a achromatic loop connected the ground, the combat ever starts connected the feet and immoderate of the women outrank her there.

“She has done everything that I’ve asked her to do. And I propulsion her arsenic acold arsenic she’s getting due to the fact that she’s behind,” Parillo said. “She’s inactive greenish a small spot connected her feet. And she’s tough. So she’s going to beryllium coming into their satellite close now.”

Dern is coming disconnected an armbar submission successful April of Nina Nunes, conscionable 12 seconds earlier the opening circular ended. It was Nunes’ archetypal combat since having her archetypal kid with UFC two-division champion Amanda Nunes. Likewise, Dern’s instrumentality combat – conscionable 4 months aft giving commencement to Moa connected June 9, 2019 – ended successful defeat.

“I knew wherever her mindset was. Of course, I privation to enactment the unit connected the combat and I wanted to win, but I had truthful overmuch respect for her,” Dern said. “I cognize she’ll beryllium backmost adjacent better. I was thankful that we were capable to stock her archetypal combat with different mom.”

The tapout of Nina Nunes gave Dern a strawweight division-best 4 submission victories. Her adjacent decorativeness by submission would springiness her the astir of immoderate pistillate successful UFC history.

Dern is acceptable for immoderate comes her mode Saturday.

“I deliberation radical deliberation I’m the astir unsafe successful the beginning,” Dern said. “But we’ve been grooming for 5 rounds for a mates fights. So if we spell five, we could spell 10 nary substance wherever we’re at.”