Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba in the works for UFC 256
Mackenzie Dern is keeping busy.
The rising UFC strawweight contender is slated to compete for a third time in less than seven months as she return Dec. 12 at UFC 256, which takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Dern and Brazil’s Virna Jandiroba have agreed to a strawweight bout, although contracts have yet to be signed.
MMA Junkie verified the news with multiple people close to the situation following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. The person requested anonymity because UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Dern (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is coming off a quick submission win over Randa Markos at UFC on ESPN+ 36 in August. Prior to that, she submitted Hannah Cifers to bounce back from her first professional loss. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is currently No. 14 in the UFC’s official 115-pound rankings.
Like Dern, Jandiroba (16-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is on a two-fight winning streak with both wins coming by submission. She defeated Mallory Martin in December 2019 and most recently Felice Herrig at UFC 252 in August. Jandiroba’s lone pro loss came in 2019 when she dropped a decision to former champion Carla Esparza at UFC on ESPN+ 8.
The latest UFC 256 lineup now includes:
- Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson – for women’s featherweight title
- Carla Esparza vs. Amanda Ribas
- Omari Akhmedov vs. Marvin Vettori
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
