Multiple time World Champion and one of the biggest names in Brazilian jiu-jitsu — Mackenzie Dern — is still gunning for a chance to be in the world’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion, the UFC.
Dern was on The MMA Hour today, speaking with host Ariel Helwani. Mackenzie told Ariel that she wants to be in the UFC by her fifth fight:
“Something will happen by my fifth fight for sure,” Dern told Helwani. “If I go to a fifth fight outside of the UFC, I don’t know, but I think definitely for sure by the fifth fight we’ll know if I’ll be in the UFC of not.”
Mackenzie explained that her weight my be holding her back.
I think what was kind of holding [me] back was, I think Cyborg got so much…attention and so much, like, for her to make the 135 [pound division], you know? And it was, like, a really long time for the UFC and everything to work with her to the 135 division. So, like, I understand it’s hard for them to like them, me to go fight in the UFC when, like, I only made 115 one time, you know what I mean?
She later went on and said she believed the UFC would like to see her make 115 one more time.
Still, her plans to be in the UFC by this year have not changed, despite there being only two months left in 2017.
My goal was to get into by 2017, you know? So definitely, that didn’t change, you know, the sooner I can get in more and more with these girls and starting to feel that experience of being like in the big events, the better.
Check out Mackenzie Dern’s entire interview with Ariel Helwani below:
