Mackenzie Dern's path to the UFC now goes through its all-female affiliate.
The highly touted prospect announced Monday on "The MMA Hour" she'll make her Invicta FC debut opposite former strawweight title challenger Kaline Medeiros on Dec. 8 in Kansas City.
Dern - a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner - competed under the Legacy Fighting Alliance (formerly LFC) banner in all four of her professional bouts before inking a deal with Invicta. She most recently submitted Mandy Polk at flyweight in under a round at LFA 24 in October - this after missing the strawweight limit in two of her three previous fights. The 24-year-old stated Monday she hopes a successful promotional debut will punch her ticket to the UFC.
Medeiros, 38, meets Dern while holding a professional record of 8-5 and has two wins in three fights in the Invicta cage. She last fell to then-strawweight queen Angela Hill by unanimous decision at Invicta FC 20 in November 2016.
Invicta FC 26's main event will see Jennifer Maia defend her flyweight crown against the undefeated Agnieszka Niedzwiedz.
