Mackenzie Dern achieved a historic milestone on October 25, 2025, when she defeated Virna Jandiroba by unanimous determination to say the vacant UFC girls’s strawweight championship at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. The judges scored the five-round battle 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 in favor of the 32-year-old American-Brazilian fighter, crowning her as the brand new queen of the 115-pound division.
Mackenzie Dern Finally Becomes UFC Champion After Humbling Herself to Start Over
The path to championship gold represented a culmination of nearly a decade of mixed martial arts competition marked by significant adversity and continuous refinement. Dern entered the contest with a 5-4 record over her previous nine fights. Her performance against Jandiroba showcased the benefits of sustained technical development, particularly in striking, an area that had historically been questioned throughout her career. The champion landed 247 total strikes compared to Jandiroba’s 208, establishing striking superiority despite absorbing nine takedowns throughout the bout.
Following her triumph, Dern addressed her approach to competition and personal growth, she explained her philosophy regarding striving for excellence without demanding perfection, stating that she does not view herself as someone pursuing flawlessness. Instead, Dern emphasized acceptance of her imperfections as integral to her development as both an athlete and individual. She explained:
“I’m not somebody who—I’m attempting to be good, ? After all, I attempt to search for perfection, however I’m okay with my imperfections. I’m at all times attempting to work on my weak factors, and I’m not somebody who’s terrified of my failures. I simply use these to maintain me stronger and to assist push me to get higher… Trial and error, on a regular basis. So if individuals see me in that, and so they can take me as that kind of fighter, I hope that evokes them. By no means get knocked down and keep down—it’s knock down seven instances, stand up eight.”
It’s not about being good. Slowly getting higher over time, accepting defeat, and transferring ahead is her philosophy. And by no means keep down, by no means hand over.
Dern’s championship victory carries significance throughout a number of fight sports activities disciplines. She turned the primary girl to win world titles within the IBJJF Black Belt Championships, the ADCC World Championship, and the UFC. This accomplishment locations her in rarified historic firm alongside Fabricio Werdum, the previous UFC heavyweight champion who achieved related distinction throughout grappling organizations.
The fighters’ rematch built upon their previous encounter in December 2020, which Dern also won by unanimous decision. However, Jandiroba arrived at UFC 321 driving momentum from 5 consecutive victories, together with submissions of Amanda Lemos and unanimous determination victories over Yan Xiaonan. Regardless of her successful streak, Jandiroba discovered herself unable to ascertain her most well-liked sport plan towards an opponent who had refined each her hanging output and wrestling protection throughout 5 years of continued growth.
Her willingness to pursue paths much less traveled, growing hanging expertise regardless of her pedigree as a world-class grappler, mirrored the identical acceptance of imperfection she mentioned following victory. Years of devoted work beneath hanging coach Jason Parillo reworked her hanging from a big legal responsibility right into a aggressive benefit throughout the strawweight division.
Dern’s ascension to championship standing validates her long-term strategy to blended martial arts growth. Her journey from adorned jiu-jitsu competitor to UFC strawweight champion encompassed 9 years of competitors containing a number of setbacks, accidents, private challenges together with motherhood and divorce, and sustained technical refinement.
