Mackenzie Dern plans on fixing some lingering issues in her fight game after she lost her second straight fight.
Dern stepped up on short notice to face Amanda Lemos at UFC 298 on Saturday in an intriguing matchup, and a crucial one for both women. Both were coming off losses, so to remain a title picture a win is key.
In the first round, Dern had success with her grappling, but in the second round, Lemos landed some massive shots that dropped the American. The third round was very competitive, and when the fight went the distance many were torn on who had won. Ultimately, it was Lemos who got the decision win, and now after the loss, Dern says it’s time to focus on her mistakes.
“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world” The results weren’t what I was hoping for! Thank you everyone for all the support! I love doing what I do! Now, it’s time to correct the mistakes and keep up the hard work! Congrats to @amandalemos_ufc for an amazing fight! FOTN for us!,” Dern wrote.
With the loss, Mackenzie Dern dropped to 8-5 in the UFC and is now on a two-fight losing skid after being TKO’d by Jessica Andrade in the fight prior.
Dana White thought Mackenzie Der broke her orbital
After the back-and-forth war with Amanda Lemos at UFC 298, UFC CEO Dana White originally thought Mackenzie Dern had broken her orbital in the loss.
“We were convinced that she had a broken orbital,” White said at the post-fight press conference. “When she went down with the eye thing, we were convinced it was a broken orbital and she fought through it. I’m shocked that it’s not [broken]. She’s so tough, so tough. She’s awesome.”
Dern ended up rallying and made the fight more competitive than people thought going in. But, with the setback, Dern is back to the drawing board as he looks to fix her mistakes and start a run towards the title.