UFC womenâs strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern defended her title with a unanimous decision win over Gillian Robertson at UFC 330.
Making her first title defense since winning 115 lbs gold last fall, Dern defeated Robertson via UD with all three judges scoring the bout in her favor.
Mackenzie Dern Defeats Gillian Robertson
In the first round, Robertson came out trying to get the takedown early, but Dern stuffed her attempts and kept the fight standing. The champ then outstruck Robertson on the feet before landing a takedown of her own and securing top position. Dern then took the back of Robertson and nearly finished her with a rear-naked choke, but the bell rang, and the round ended. An easy first round to score, as Dern was levels above Robertson both on the feet and on the mat. Round 1 10-9 Dern
In the second round, Dern immediately went for a takedown and got Robertson down to the mat. She then took her back and tried to sink in the choke, but Robertson was able to reverse position and get on top. Dern managed to get Robertsonâs leg and make her way back to the top, finishing the round in top control for another easy round. Round 2 10-9 Dern (20-18 Dern)
The third round was more of the same as Dern controlled the majority of the round with her striking before getting a late takedown and then riding out the rest of the round in top control. Round 3 10-9 Dern (30-27 Dern)
The fourth round was the exact same thing as before, as she took Robertson down and then took her back. Though Dern threatened with a rear-naked choke, she wasnât able to finish the job. Round 4 10-9 Dern (40-36 Dern)
The fifth round saw Robertson have more success as she was able to get on top of Dern and control her from top position while defending submission attempts from the bottom by Dern. Weâll give Robertson the last round, but she needed a finish to win. Round 5 10-9 Robertson (49-46 Dern)
Our score: 49-46 Mackenzie Dern
Judgesâ scorecards: 49-46, 49-46, 48-47 Dern
Whatâs Next for Mackenzie Dern After UFC 330?
The obvious next fight for Dern is a matchup against former UFC womenâs strawweight Zhang Weili, who gave up her belt last year to try to move up to 125 lbs and win a second title. She lost to Valentina Shevchenko, though, and is expected to move back down to 115 lbs.
Most fans wanted to see Dern fight Zhang before Robertson got the title shot instead. But now that Dern has defended her belt against Robertson, Zhang makes sense as the next challenger.
When the UFC does book this fight, look for Zhang to be a sizeable favorite to defeat Dern. Although Dern has a solid grappling game, Zhang should be able to match her on the mat, and on the feet, there is a massive discrepancy when it comes to striking skills.
Ideally, this fight is booked before the year’s end or, at worst, in the first quarter of 2027, as this division needs to keep moving along.
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