MMA News

Author: Craig Pekios

  • Mackenzie Dern Breaks Down Weili Fight: ‘She’s Never Really Been Pushed’

    Mackenzie Dern Breaks Down Weili Fight: ‘She’s Never Really Been Pushed’

    Mackenzie Dern would love to take a crack at reigning strawweight queen Zhang Weili.

    Despite some recent setbacks against names like Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos, Dern has slowly worked her way up the 115-pound rankings, settling in as the division’s sixth-ranked contender after notching back-to-back wins against Loopy Godinez and Amanda Ribas.

    Realistically, Dern could be one big win away from earning her first shot at UFC gold, but the Phoenix native isn’t rushing into anything. Especially when it comes to fighting someone as dangerous as Weili.

    “Yeah, I would love to fight Weili—but not right now,” Dern told MMA Junkie. “I’m not there yet. I saw her fight Tatiana, and Tatiana took her down in the first round, held in there all five rounds. I think Weili just hasn’t had enough experience, never really got pushed through the hard times.

    “I feel like I could do good compared to how Tatiana did with her, but on a personal level, I don’t think I’m ready for her right now. If I fight Virna, get the belt, and then she comes back down, I think that would give me enough time to be ready to welcome her back.”

    Mackenzie Dern’s Popularity Could Be Her Ticket to a Title Shot

    Overall, Dern is 10-5 inside the Octagon with her most impressive performances coming against Hannah Cifers, Randa Markos, and Nina Nunes. However, Dern has failed to walk away with a win when put to the test against some of the flyweight division’s biggest names, like Yan Xiaonan, Marina Rodrigues, and the aforementioned Jessica Andrade.

    Still, the BJJ world champion has remained a favorite among fight fans with more than 1.5 million followers on Instagram. That alone could be reason enough for Dana White and Co. to justify giving Dern a title opportunity.

    Mackenzie Dern
    Image: Chris Unger/UFC/Zuffa LLC

    As for Weili, the two-time titleholder has not yet booked her return to the Octagon since handily defeating Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312 in February, though all signs currently point toward a long-awaited champion vs. champion clash between her and reigning flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.

  • Jack Della Maddalena Says Islam Makhachev is Simply Too Small to Beat Him

    Jack Della Maddalena is confident that his size will be too much for Islam Makhachev to overcome in their inevitable title clash.

    As a lightweight, Makhachev’s strength and stature proved to be a problem for practically everyone. But now, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ is stepping into a whole new world. After watching JDM snatch the welterweight title away from Belal Muhammad in May, Makhachev announced that he would be vacating his 155-pound crown in a bid to move up and challenge Della Maddalena for his newly-won gold.

    Oddsmakers are already favoring Makhachev to come out on top, with lines currently listing Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protege as a 2-to-1 favorite over the Aussie. However, Della Maddalena sees things a little differently.

    During an in-cage interview at Eternal MMA 97, JDM suggested that Makhachev may be a bit undersized for the welterweight division, and vowed to exploit that to exact revenge for his countryman, Alexander Volkanovski.

    “Yeah, it’s the dream first title defense—pound-for-pound number one,” Della Maddalena said. “Get him back from V. We saw what V did to him. I’m going to get him. He’s too little. He’s too little! I’m going to get him!”

    Can Della Maddalena Do What ‘The Great’ Couldn’t?

    Volkanovski famously moved up twice from his post as the featherweight champion to challenge Makhachev for the lightweight championship in 2023. The first time around, Volk nearly pulled off the upset, delivering one of the best fights of the year.

    Unfortunately, their second scrap wasn’t near as close. Stepping in on short notice, ‘The Great’ suffered a brutal head-kick KO just past the three-minute mark of the opening round, effectively ending his dreams of becoming the fifth fighter to hold two UFC titles simultaneously.

    Makhachev went on to submit both Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano before relinquishing his lightweight belt to try and conquer another weight class.

    No official announcements have been made regarding when and where Makhachev will meet Della Maddalena, though the Dagestani recently suggested that the UFC’s return to the world’s most famous arena — Madison Square Garden — could be the perfect setting for their highly anticipated showdown.