Mackenzie Dern is one of those prospects everyone wants to see living upto her potential but she’s still struggling to pace herself. Dern came out looking strong right off the gate. But struggled in the cling and with Torres’ muay thati. Kicks to the body in particular.
The American grappler faced the well-rounded Tecia Torres during the main card of UFC 273.
During the first round, Tecia looked very good with her distance management, the striking expert was able to keep Dern at bay and frustrate every takedown attempt from the BJJ legend. Torres continued to punish her with punches and side-kicks during the round.
The second round featured the best moment of the fight. Dern decided that she had enough with wrestling, and pulled guard on Torres. For a good three minutes of the round, Dern had Torres in all kinds of trouble, including a fully locked kimura that according to Dern in the post-fight interview, she felt Torre’s shoulders pop during the submissions attempt.
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With apparently one round each, the third round was the most contested of the bout. Torres implemented her long-distance striking gameplan while Dern was looking for takedowns and big shots. The round ended with Dern scoring a last-second takedown.
The third round was so tough to score that fans and experts are still debating over who won the fight. Regardless, Mackenzie Dern earned the split decision victory.
Now, Mackenzie is ranked at number 5 and expects to fight someone upper in the rankings. The BJJ blackbelt has won 5 out of her last 6 fights and has cemented herself as one of the title contenders of the strawweight division.