Mackenzie Dern is keeping high spirits despite her most recent setback.
The women’s strawweight contender saw her four-fight winning streak come to an end with a decision defeat to Marina Rodriguez in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 194 main event in Las Vegas.
Dern (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) had good moments in the bout when she threatened with her grappling, but her efforts weren’t enough to top the work Rodriguez did on the feet. The grappling standout sees the defeat as an important lesson and vows to comeback improved.
“Thank you everyone for all the support!,” Dern wrote on Instagram. “Yesterday wasn’t the result I was training for, but this fight is the biggest learning experience for me! Now I have a lot to look back on and fix to become a better fighter! For sure a submission would have been great but to have these rounds for me to work on is such a blessing! Congrats Marina for the win! I hope you guys enjoyed the fight and thanks @danawhite for the FOTN 💰 Thank you to my family, my team, my friends and everyone who continues to support me! Letssss gooo!”
Dern had been in the midst of a comeback from her first professional defeat. The 28-year-old had three first-round submission wins and three “Performance of the Night” bonuses in her previous four bouts. The loss to Rodriguez ws Dern’s second career defeat since turning to professional MMA in 2016.
