Decorated BJJ athlete and 11-1 MMA fighter Mackenzie Dern will be taking on Marina Rodriguez in her next UFC fight.
Dana White revealed the news to TMZ Sports, adding that the matchup has not yet been formally announced. Neither a date nor a location has been specified for the fight at this time.
Dern is currently riding a four-fight winning streak, the most recent of which took place in April and saw her submit Nina Ansaroff Nunes just twelve seconds before the end of the first round. She has been showing her jiu-jitsu prowess in the cage, racking up seven submissions so far in her career. Her first and only loss took place in 2019 when she dropped a decision to Amanda Ribas.
Rodriguez is a well-matched opponent for Dern. Her only loss took place against Carla Esparza last July, and since then, she’s won both of her two most recent bouts. Her last fight resulted in a hard-fought win against Michelle Waterson earlier this month in the main event of UFC Vegas 26. While Dern is a clear submission artist, Rodriguez has only won submission win and six knockout/TKO wins, giving this fight plenty of potential for a battle between striking and grappling.
