Mackenzie Dern achieved a historic milestone on October 25, 2025 by defeating Vilna Jandilova by unanimous determination at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi to win the vacant UFC ladies’s strawweight title. After a five-round combat, the judges voted 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 in favor of the 32-year-old American-Brazilian fighter, crowning her the brand new 115-pound champion.
Mackenzie Dern lastly turns into UFC champion after a humble begin
The street to championship gold represented the fruits of almost a decade of blended martial arts competitors, marked by important adversity and steady enchancment. Dern entered this contest with a file of 5 wins and 4 losses in his earlier 9 fights. Her efficiency towards Jandiroba confirmed the advantages of sustained technical growth, particularly in putting, an space that has traditionally been questioned all through her profession. The champion established her putting benefit, touchdown 247 complete strikes in comparison with Jandiroba’s 208, and regardless of absorbing 9 takedowns all through the bout.
After his win, Dern spoke about his method to competitors and private progress, explaining his philosophy on pursuing excellence with out striving for perfection, and stated he would not contemplate himself a perfectionist. As a substitute, Dern emphasised embracing his imperfections as important to his progress as an athlete and as a person. She defined:
“I am not the form of one who tries to be excellent. In fact I attempt to be excellent, however I do not care about my imperfections. I at all times attempt to work on my weaknesses and I am not one to be afraid of failure. I simply use it to make myself stronger and higher. It helps push me to turn into… I am at all times making an attempt and erroring. So I hope that if folks see me that manner and take me as that kind of fighter, it is an inspiration for them to by no means take a knock. If you’re down, you keep down, you go down seven occasions, you stand up eight occasions. ”
It isn’t about being excellent. Her philosophy is to slowly get higher over time, settle for defeat, and transfer on. And by no means get discouraged, by no means hand over.
Dern’s championship win has significance throughout a number of martial arts disciplines. She turned the primary lady to win an IBJJF Black Belt Championship, an ADCC World Championship, and a world title within the UFC. This achievement places her in uncommon historic firm with former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, who has achieved related feats throughout the grappling fraternity.
The Fighters’ rematch is predicated on their earlier encounter in December 2020, which Dern additionally gained by unanimous determination. Nevertheless, Jandiroba entered UFC 321 driving the momentum of a five-fight profitable streak, together with a submission over Amanda Lemos and a unanimous determination victory over Yan Xiaonan. Regardless of the profitable streak, Jandiroba discovered himself unable to ascertain a desired recreation plan towards an opponent who had honed each his putting energy and wrestling protection by 5 years of continued growth.
Regardless of her pedigree as a world-class grappler, her willingness to pursue the street much less traveled and hone her putting expertise mirrored the identical acceptance of imperfection she spoke of after her win. Years of dedication beneath putting coach Jason Parrillo have reworked her putting from a legal responsibility to a aggressive benefit inside the strawweight division.
Dern’s promotion to the championship proves her long-term method to the event of blended martial arts. Her journey from illustrious jiu-jitsu athlete to UFC strawweight champion included 9 years of aggressive setbacks, accidents, private challenges together with motherhood and divorce, and continued technical enchancment.
