Mackenzie Dern learned a lot in her loss to Marina Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 39 on Saturday night.
Dern lost by unanimous decision, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt had her moments in the fight. The second round saw Dern at her best as she secured a takedown and threatened Rodriguez with a number of submission attempts that she was forced to fight out of. Both women returned to their feet after the exchange on the ground and for the next three rounds, Rodriguez was able to thwart any other takedown attempts and outstrike Dern in a ‘Fight of the Night’ awarded performance.