Mackenzie Dern returned to winning ways in the UFC after she claimed a unanimous decision victory over Angela Hill in the women’s strawweight main event of a Fight Night at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas on the morning of Sunday 21 May 2023.
Dern, who moves to 13-3 and bounces back from a majority decision loss to Yan Xiaonan in October 2022, has long been known as one of the best grappling specialists in women’s MMA, but in this clash, she turned in a fully-rounded performance in which her striking, takedown and tactics were all highly elevated.
Her overall dominance was reflected in the scorecards, with the judges giving her the fight 49-43 49-44 49-44 against a 28-fight veteran who drops to 15-13.
“I don't know what Rose [Namajunas] is up to," Dern told UFC commentator Michael Bisping post-fight. "I never fought an ex-champion. I feel like I could have that opportunity now.”
The 30-year-old also suggested a match against Yan Xiaonan could be possible should Namajunas or other former champions be unavailable.
The remainder of the main card featured a third-round TKO win for Anthony Hernandez over Edmen Shahbazyan in the middleweight division; Lupita Godinez outpointed Emily Ducote for a unanimous decision triumph in a women’s catchweight (120 lb) fight; Joaquin Buckley finished Andre Fialho with a head kick in the second round of their welterweight clash; and the lightweight opener saw Carlos Ferreria claim a second-round knockout of Michael Johnson.
The next UFC event will also be at the APEX Facility on the morning of Sunday 4 June 2023, headlined by a flyweight fight between Kai Kara-France and Amir Albazi.
UFC Fight Night: Dern v Hill – Main card results
- Main event: Women’s strawweight: Mackenzie Dern def. Angela Hill via unanimous decision (49-43 49-44 49-44), R5, 5:00
- Middleweight: Anthony Hernandez def. Edmen Shahbazyan via TKO (elbows and punches), R3, 1:01
- Women’s catchweight (120 lb): Lupita Godinez def. Emily Ducote via unanimous decision (30-27 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00
- Welterweight: Joaquin Buckley def. Andre Fialho via TKO (head kick), R2, 4:15
- Lightweight: Carlos Ferreria def. Michael Johnson via KO (punch), R2, 1:50