Mackenzie Dern Wants ‘Thug Rose’ Next

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Mackenzie Dern wants to fight a former champ in her next outing.

Dern broke her main event curse as she defeated Angela Hill via a unanimous decision last night (Sat., May 20, 2023) at UFC Vegas 73 from inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Dern snapped Hill’s three-fight win streak while getting herself back into the win column in possibly her best performance yet. Dern also picked up a “Performance of the Night” bonus for her fight.

After her main event win, Dern had a name locked and loaded for her next opponent, none other than former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.

She explained the callout during her interview on the UFC Fight Night Post Show with Karyn Bryant, Alan Jouban, and Rashad Evans.

“Um, I think it’s a challenge. I’m not calling out Rose because I think it will be an easy fight, you know, but I think to be the champion, we need to have the tough fights,” Dern said. “I think the fact that she is a former two-time champion. I like the way that she fights. I think she’d be down to be in the fight, and she won’t be running the whole time. I think we will be able to pull the best out of each other. I think she’s dangerous, so that’s exciting for me. It’s a good matchup.”

Namajunas has been out of action since losing her title to Carla Esparza at UFC 274 in one of the most boring fights ever. There have been rumors that she might be moving to Flyweight, but she hasn’t confirmed anything. Recently, “Thug Rose” competed at The ADCC Denver Open women’s absolute division taking bronze.

For complete UFC Vegas 73 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.