A pair of top-six ranked strawweights will collide in October in a fight that will have huge title implications in the future.
ESPN was first to report that No. 5 ranked strawweight Marina Rodriguez will fight Mackenzie Dern in the main event of a yet-to-be-announced October 9 UFC event. Rodriguez would confirm the booking on her Instagram story.
Rodriguez (14-1-2) has looked tremendous since suffering her first professional loss last year on ‘Fight Island’ against current No. 1 contender Carla Esparza. The Brazilian rebounded perfectly by taking out hot prospect Amanda Ribas in their fight at UFC 257 in January. She would TKO the fellow Brazilian. In her most recent win, Rodriguez stepped up on short notice to headline UFC Vegas 26 against Michelle Waterson. She would win a unanimous decision.
Like her opponent, Dern (11-1) has rebounded perfectly since her first professional loss. In 2020 she went 3-0 with two Performance of the Night bonuses, defeating Hannah Cifers, Randa Markos, and Virna Jandiroba. In her most recent win, she picked up the biggest win of her career by defeating Nina Nunes in the first round via submission. The win shot up into the top of the division.
A win for either Rodriguez or Dern will get them very close to a title shot and could set them up for a No. 1 contender fight.
No location, venue, or broadcast plan has been announced for the October 9 event.
The October 9 fight card now includes the following reported bouts:
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Mackenzie Dern
- Chris Gutierrez vs. Felipe Colares
- Lupita Godinez vs. Sam Hughes
- Laureano Staropoli vs. Jamie Pickett
- Alexandr Romanov vs. Jared Vanderaa
