Mackenzie Dern’s 3rd fight in mixed martial arts would’ve been the 2nd time she failed to make weight. So instead her management scrambled and it was negotiated that the fight would happen at catchweight with 20% of the purse going to Katherine Roy – her opponent.
Many believe that Dern is the bjj prodigy that can be the best possible ambassador in the UFC – this is why an understandable fuss was lifted after the news of her being over the pre-negotiated weight limit first hit the web.
Initially Ariel Helwani reported:
LFA prez Ed Soares confirms Dern couldn’t make 115 this AM, so they agreed to a catchweight. She then needed extra hr to make the new weight
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 9, 2017
Her opponent Katherine Roy was visibly upset:
And now she’s chosen to elaborate on the whole situation and clear up what’s been going on. She’s told champions.co:
When I was initially offered the fight with #MackenzieDern, I had concerns over her weight. I knew that she had had issues making weight previously, so I specifically asked if she was ready to make weight. I was assured that her weight management was in better shape and there would be no issues.
So I was shocked when I got a text (while I was cutting weight) saying she wasn’t going to make it. I got the message at about 9:30 am, the morning of weigh-ins (we were supposed to weighed in at 1 pm) asking for a new contract at 120 pounds, plus 20 percent of her purse.
But here’s where the story gets interesting. Many members of Dern’s entourage including herself denied there was an issue with making weight in the first place.
FWIW, Dern’s camp is denying she missed weight, despite the fact that I’ve seen the contract and it clearly states 115 pounds. Bizarre.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 9, 2017
Dern denied it herself in an instagram comment that has been since deleted:
But that wasn’t the end of it for Roy:
I later saw that her management was trying to pass off that she had made weight, and was trying to hide the fact that the bout was supposed to be 115 originally. They kept telling the media it was always going to be a 120-pound fight, which is 100 percent false. That upset me and shows a lack of professionalism and respect. Look, things happen, people miss weight — own up to it.
I thought that once we got in that cage, it would be the end of it, but then her corner accused me of greasing. I didn’t know about it at the time, but I guess her coach asked the referee to wipe down my armpits because they thought I had greased to avoid her submission.
Still there’s no doubt in Roy’s mind – Dern deserves all the respect:
The thing is, I actually thought that Mackenzie seemed like a nice girl, and even after all of that, I still have respect for her and what she does.
