Dern beats Jandiroba for vacant UFC strawweight title
Mackenzie Dern is a UFC champion.
Dern defeated Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to capture the vacant strawweight title in the UFC 321 co-main event Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
"It feels amazing," Dern said in her postfight interview. "I can't believe this."
Dern, one of the most decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners to compete in the UFC, relied on her striking to win the fight, landing the heavier shots throughout the bout. Dern outlanded Jandiroba 118-106 in significant strikes and 249-208 in total strikes.
Zhang Weili vacated the 115-pound title in pursuit of a second belt, leading the UFC to book the fight between Dern and Jandiroba. The Chinese fighter is scheduled to challenge women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 322 on Nov. 15.
Dern and Jandiroba were ranked No. 5 and No. 1 in the strawweight division, respectively, coming in. They previously fought in December 2022, with Dern also earning a unanimous decision in that bout.
Jandiroba was competitive with Dern in Saturday's rematch, using control on the ground to somewhat neutralize her opponent's advantage on the feet. Jandiroba completed nine of 17 takedowns and compiled 9:07 of control time, while Dern went 2-for-8 in takedowns. Neither woman attempted a submission. In the end, Dern's heavy punches were the difference-maker and enough to sway the judges.
"It wasn't the fight I expected," Dern said. "I thought that it was gonna be a little bit easier, honestly, just because I beat Virna the last time. She came out really tough. I knew she would get the takedowns."
With the victory, Dern is riding a three-fight winning streak. The 32-year-old hasn't lost since facing Amanda Lemos in February 2024.
Jandiroba, a 37-year-old Brazilian, saw her five-fight winning streak come to an end and suffered her first loss since October 2021.