On October 9, Mackenzie Dern will compete in her first ever UFC main event. She will face against Marina Rodriguez, who is the number 6-ranked strawweight in the division. In a recent interview given to MMA Junkie, Dern spoke about Rodriguez’s lack of ground skills:
I think her ground game has a lot to work on. I’ve seen her do a couple of elbows from the bottom, but more when the girl is just holding her on the ground. But I’ve seen her get up and giving her back, so I can imagine her camp is going to be a lot of takedown defense and maybe getting up using the cage to get up. I think her striking is so dangerous, but the ground has a lot to work on.
That’s the reason why Dern believes that she’ll finish Rodriguez via submission… Fast.
I think it’s going to be a first-round submission again this time. I definitely think I’ve found my way in MMA, kind of found what works for me. And hey, why would I want to stay too much getting punched in the face, taking all this damage, take more time recovering to get back into training when it’s clear that obviously taking it to the ground (works for me)?
The girls are still getting better, the level on the ground, but I need to take advantage. That’s my strength, so I think it’s going to be a first-round submission
