Highlights! Rodriguez Survives Dern’s Grappling For Main Event Win

Marina Rodriguez may have punched her ticket to a No. 1 contender’s bout in the women’s strawweight division earlier today (Sat., Oct. 9, 2021) at UFC Vegas 39 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when she outlasted Mackenzie Dern in the main event via unanimous decision.

Dern came out with early pressure along the cage, but Rodriguez defended nicely to score a few of her own shots. Things hit the ground in Round 2 as Dern finally got Rodriguez down and tried to lock up multiple submissions. Rodriguez defended the finish, but was hit with a lot of ground-and-pound for nearly three-straight minutes.

Dern seemed a little tired in the third as Rodriguez remained on her feet and unleashed precise strikes from all angles. She also managed to score a barrage of hard elbows during a clinch at the end of the frame. In Round 4, Rodriguez scored even more offense from range as Dern looked exhausted and started to really wing her shots. Dern briefly gained full mount towards the end of the frame but she wasn’t able to pull out a submission.

The fifth and final frame saw a desperate Dern try to move her way inside in hopes another takedown or scramble. Unfortunately for Dern, Rodriguez’s movement prohibited her from finding any success on the feet. Dern also ate a ton of shots down the stretch that solidified Rodriguez’s unanimous decision effort.

Check out the full fight highlights below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

For complete UFC Vegas 39 results and coverage click here.