It was a frustrating fight for the corner of Mackenzie Dern, as the technical striking of Marina Rodriguez prevented Dern’s attempts to close the distance.
The only time that we really got to see Dern’s ground work was in Round 2, and while it was beautiful, it was short lived. For that exchange, Dern turned a failed Judo throw into a leg entry, then used that to come on top and pass the guard. From there, Rodriguez locked an Anaconda variation from bottom side, and for a brief moment, it seemed like Dern could be in danger. However, Dern stayed calm and was able to step over the head of Rodriguez, effectively slipping out of the submission attempt and moving into a Crucifix where she started working an incredibly technical Armbar with her legs. As Rodriguez continued to work for a better position, Dern took the back, came into mount, and landed some powerful ground and pound strikes. Rodriguez tried to invert out of the mount, but Dern held a strong base until the round expired.
?? @WMMARZ is feeling it in the fourth ?
— UFC (@ufc) October 9, 2021
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In her post fight interview, Rodriguez said she was more concerned with the ground and pound than the submission attempts, “There was never a point that she was close to a submission, but she does hit hard from the top.â€
The only submission of the night came from 10th Planet Vancouver product and former LFA Strawweight Champion, Loopy Godinez. Her match against Silvina Gomez Juarez didn’t see the end of the first-round, as Godinez dominated the entire fight. She secured a strong back-mount, then moved onto a nasty belly-down armbar for the victory. An emotional Godinez gave her post-fight interview, dedicating the victory to her teammate’s Dad, who is home fighting for his life.
// MAIN CARD //
Marina Rodriguez def. Mackenzie Dern via Unanimous Decision
Randy Brown def. Jared Gooden via Unanimous Decision
Matheus Nicolau def. Tim Elliott via Unanimous Decision
Mariya Agapova def. Sabina Mazo via Dubmission(RNC)
Chris Gutierrez def. Felipe Colares via Split Decision
// PRELIMS //
Alexandr Romanov def. Jared Vanderaa via TKO(punches)
Damon Jackson def. Charles Rosa via Unanimous Decision
Loopy Godinez def. Silvina Gomez Juarez via Submission(Armbar)
Steve Garcia def. Charlie Ontiveros via TKO(punches)
