Mackenzie Dern happy to make UFC history, but ultimate goal is to become mom champ

LAS VEGAS – Mackenzie Dern is happy to have made history Saturday, but her main goal goes beyond that.

Dern (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) scored the first leg submission in women’s UFC history to open the main card of UFC on ESPN 9 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The jiu-jitsu standout caught Hannah Cifers in a kneebar midway through the first round of their strawweight contest after ending up on bottom in a scramble with Cifers.

Despite getting a first-round finish, it was a rough fight for Dern since Cifers lived up to her toughness.

“I’m so happy with my performance. I knew that Hannah wasn’t an easy girl,” Dern said in her post-fight news conference. “She’s so tough and I didn’t want to get too much in the clinch with her and be in a brawling situation. So when I was in the clinch, I knew I was going to feel her strength and her muscles. As soon I was able to get the takedown, even though I was on bottom, the coaches said, ‘Don’t pull guard. If you’re on the bottom that’s fine, but don’t pull guard.’ So I got the takedown, went on bottom, and I was happy she wasn’t defending the leg much.

“That’s one of my specialties. I like leg locks a lot. You can look on YouTube – a lot of my jiu-jitsu matches are with that. So I was at home at that moment.”

Dern is happy to have made history in the jiu-jitsu department in the UFC, but her goal remains to be champ one day.

“What makes it good is that it was a leg lock, and the first in women’s history. But I think once I get the mom’s belt and become mom champ, then that would be, ‘OK, now it’s a big difference.’”

With her husband home most of the time with their daughter since his professional surfing events have been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, Dern wants to take advantage of the extra hands and focus on a quick return to the octagon.

“I definitely want to take advantage that his events are off and can stay with my daughter, and (I can) train hard and fight on ‘Fight Island’ or wherever the next fight is and get the win streak gong.”