UFC Fighter Mackenzie Dern Bounces Back From Loss In Short Cut-Off Shorts

Published|Updated

UFC strawweight Mackenzie Dern was the favorite heading into her fight on October 1 against Yan Xiaonan at UFC Vegas 61. She walked away with her third loss in the octagon.

The five-round main event went the distance with Mackenzie's opponent earning a majority decision victory over her. She was understandably disappointed after the fight.

1a99060c-

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 01: Mackenzie Dern reacts after her decision loss to Yan Xiaonan of China in a strawweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 01, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

"I didn't do what I came to do," she said after the loss. "My goal was, if I got it to the ground, I should be finishing it. I have the best jiu-jitsu, I believe, in the women's division. So I had lots of opportunities to finish and she was just the better fighter than me. I just feel like I've been getting better and it's hard to not be able to show it in the fight."

"I have so much to grow and it's all part of the journey and I just thank Dana, the UFC, my team, the Zuckerberg family for being here and making this such a great event," she continued. "I'm sorry if I made anyone sad with my performance. I know so many people believed in me and I believed in myself, but it's part of the game."

Looking Forward To What's Next

Heading into her main event she took some time to rest and recover with a hose and her bikini. As she puts this fight in her rearview she put on short cut-off shorts to heal from her loss and prepare for her next opportunity.

02196ce2-

Mackenzie Dern/Instagram Story

Life in the octagon isn't easy. You can't get too high after wins or too low when you lose. Mackenzie seems to be bouncing back nicely from her loss with the help of social media.

She has now lost two out of her last three fights by decision. Prior to that she was on a four fight winning streak.

It's going to take some work to get back in the win column in the octagon. Outside of the octagon she hasn't taken many Ls and that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon.