Mackenzie Dern stands on the precipice of history. As she prepares for her first UFC title shot against Virna Jandiroba at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, the Brazilian-American MMA star has the opportunity to achieve something no woman has ever accomplished: winning both an ADCC championship and a UFC title.
During media day, Dern was reminded of this historic possibility.
“I don’t know if you know this or anyone told you, but if you win, you would become the first woman to be an ADCC champ and a UFC champ. There’s been three men, but no women have done it,”
a reporter informed her. Her response reflected the weight of the moment:
“Yeah, 100%. I mean, um, for sure that, but I know I’ll be the first woman.”
But Dern‘s potential achievement extends even further. She revealed that only one person in combat sports history has captured world titles in IBJJF, Abu Dhabi World Pro, ADCC, and the UFC: former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.
“There’s only been one guy, Fabricio Werdum, who’s done world IBJJF, Abu Dhabi World Pro, ADCC, and UFC title, you know, and Fabricio Werdum is the only man who’s ever done all of those four. And now I could be the only woman to do that,”
Dern explained.
The significance of competing in Abu Dhabi isn’t lost on Dern, who sees a cosmic alignment in the details. She won her first black belt world title at the Abu Dhabi World Pro on April 25, 2015. Now, exactly ten years later, she competes for another world title on October 25, 2025, in the same city.
“I was like, exactly 10 years later, you know,”
she marveled.
“I really think it’s destiny.”
Dern‘s journey to this moment hasn’t been straightforward. Unlike champions with undefeated records, she’s endured losses, broken bones, and criticism.
“I can’t say I wish I didn’t have, like, an undefeated career like Ronda Rousey, and that would have been amazing, you know, but um, I’m proud of my journey and I think that’s what’s going to help me be a great champion is the adversity that I went through,”
she reflected.
Interestingly, Dern defeated Jandiroba five years ago in a match where she broke her nose for the first time in her MMA career. Looking back at that bout, she noticed how much she’s grown mentally:
“If something like that was to happen, you know, my mind’s already, like, it’s already protected, you know what I mean? It’s not going to be something that’s going to distract me.”
As she prepares for Saturday night, Dern remains confident but grounded.
“I just see my hand getting raised. I don’t know how. I don’t know if it’ll be with a knockout. I don’t know if it’ll be submission, but I just see my hand getting raised.”
If that hand is raised in victory, Mackenzie Dern won’t just be a UFC champion—she’ll be a pioneer who bridged two worlds of grappling excellence in a way no woman ever has.
ver has.
