Mackenzie Dern is days away from the biggest fight of her career — and perhaps the one that could redefine her place in the UFC.
When she steps into the Octagon this Saturday for the UFC 321 co-main event, she’ll meet Virna Jandiroba for the vacant strawweight championship, a belt previously held by Zhang Weili, who has since moved up to flyweight to challenge Valentina Shevchenko.
But while Dern has long respected Zhang’s reign at 115 pounds, she openly admits she’s not quite at that level yet — at least not until she proves herself with gold around her waist.
“I definitely think that if Weili was champion right now of our division, and I mean, obviously, I wouldn’t say no to a title shot, but I don’t think I’d be ready to fight Weili right now at this moment of my career, you know what I mean?” Dern told MMA Fighting. “But I do think that if I do win the belt, and then whatever — if we were to fight like at the White House or something in June — I feel like I’d be way more ready and prepared to fight her.”
Growth Through Championship Experience
Zhang’s dominance left an imprint on the strawweight division — and Dern knows how high the bar has been set. What she’s chasing isn’t just the belt itself but the mental and emotional transformation that comes with becoming a world champion.
“I know it’s like, OK, it’s just like what? Like six months or eight months difference. How much better do you think you’re going to get in 8 months? But I think just winning the bell, there’s a confidence part that you get from that, and it’s just more training and more time. She was just so dominant in the strawweight division.”
That “confidence part,” as she calls it, could be the missing link — the step from contender to complete fighter. For Dern, lifting the championship would not just validate her journey but also make her truly believe she could stand toe-to-toe with someone like Zhang.
Facing an Old Opponent for a New Crown
Dern’s upcoming fight also carries a personal history. She and Jandiroba have shared the cage before, back in December 2020 at UFC 256, when Dern earned a unanimous decision victory after three rounds of grappling-heavy exchanges.
Now, nearly five years later, both women meet again — but this time, everything’s on the line.
Dern (15–5) has fought her way back into title contention after consecutive losses to Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos. Since then, she’s picked up back-to-back wins against Lupita Godinez and Amanda Ribas, finishing Ribas with a third-round submission that reminded fans of her elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu pedigree.
Across the Octagon, Jandiroba (22–3) enters as one of the division’s most experienced grapplers, riding a five-fight winning streak — including a decision victory over Xiaonan Yan at UFC 314.
For both, this fight represents more than a belt — it’s a defining moment in their careers.
Strawweight Division Reborn
With Zhang Weili moving up in weight, the strawweight landscape feels more open than ever. New names are rising, and matchups are taking shape that might not have happened otherwise. Dern feels that renewed energy throughout the division.
“I really just feel like this is going get all of us a little bit more uplifted,” Dern said. “Like, we kind of get re-energized, a little bit more confidence in the whole division, kind of see different matchups and all of us just maturing differently as fighters, and I feel like either me or Virna, we would be more prepared to fight her if she does decide to come back down right away, you know what I mean? So I’m not really thinking too much like, ‘Oh, that’ll be sad [if we never fight].‘”
Whether Zhang returns to strawweight or remains at 125, Dern believes the women’s 115-pound division is entering an exciting new chapter filled with challenges, growth, and opportunity.
Despite her admiration for Zhang, Dern doesn’t define her future by whether that fight happens or not. Her focus is clear — the belt comes first.
“She’s accomplished so much, so if she does retire, or if she does decide to stay at 125, I wouldn’t think too much about it. I mean, it’s the fight world. She’s been in this for like how long? So it’s not like, ‘Oh, I’m only a champion if I beat her, but I would like to have the opportunity to fight her.”
“I’m not going to say that I wouldn’t be like, ‘Man, it would be very exciting to fight her,‘ but, yeah, the main goal is to beat Virna, win the belt, and then we’ll see if she comes back down or not. I think if she does come back down, me or Virna will be ready to fight her. And if not, it’ll be sad, but the strawweight division is growing so much, there’s so many tough girls coming up that people aren’t going to be bummed.”
Mackenzie Dern enters UFC 321 as the betting underdog, but for her, that label doesn’t matter. What matters is seizing the moment — and the belief that comes with it.
If she wins on Saturday, Dern won’t just become a UFC champion; she’ll gain the experience and composure she’s been searching for. It’s that transformation — the one she believes only comes from winning — that could finally make her ready to face Zhang Weili one day.
