Federation representatives have announced that IBJJF #1 rank Mackenzie Dern and Leandro Lo $15, 000 grand prize winners are officially the top male and female competitors for the 2016-2017 season. Both competitors won and placed in a number of different events, and ultimately both Lo and Dern took home a World Championship. According to representatives, it was actually the consistency and force of will that both athletes showed that earned them this coveted status. The organization announced how happy it was to grant the $15,000 grand prize to both of them, and it thanked them both for their participation in the season.
Related: Mackenzie Dern MMA Highlight
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IBJJF officials went on to thank Lo not only for his incredible performance and physicality but also for the entertainment that he provided during the season. While the officials genuinely meant what they said, no one should think of the scoring as at all subjected. They weighed victories in the national and pan-national championships while also looking at past seasons and victories within one’s own weight class when calculating the standings for various athletes. The judges can also examine how fights are won as well as other criteria when they decide where to rank any specific international competitor. This makes this a remarkable victory for Lo, who already made a name for himself when he held a lengthy winning streak at the Copa Podio between 2011-2013.
Dern’s victory proves that she’s not willing to rest on her laurels. She’s the daughter of Megaton Dias but has long sought to forge her own path in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Having defeated Kenia Rosas in a unanimous decision the night she debuted in MMA, Dern is also a Black Belt BJJ World Champion. Now she’s poised to soar to even greater heights since she’s set to appear in another season of matches next year.
