UFC strawweight fighter Mackenzie Dern badly missed the mark during her weigh-ins for UFC 224 last May. The multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion tipped the scales at 123 pounds, which was seven pounds over the limit.
The 25-year-old Dern ended up defeating opponent Amanda Bobby Cooper via first-round submission, but she does recognize the changes that she needs to make. However, she is not looking to move up in weight any time soon.
“Everyone here agrees I have a body type that fits at strawweight, in the category that I am, so the plan is to continue in it,” Dern told Brazilian outlet Combate (translation via MMANYTT). “But we want to diet and train so that I do not have to cut so much weight, I’ll cut very little. After the fight, I will not go up that much.
“Regardless of what will be decided on the weigh-in, whether or not it will return for the afternoon, it will not change my situation much, because, the way they want me to be the best possible athlete, it will be a very quiet thing.”
Dern also revealed that she is now working with the UFC through the Performance Institute in Las Vegas to help her with her regimen.
“I’m learning here every day, every day I learn something different from my body that I did not even know, things that get in the way of my cut, that I had difficulty due to the way I cut,” Dern said.
“Now that I’m working with the UFC, I’m going to come back here every four weeks, take the tests to see how my body is reacting. But otherwise my workout will continue normal.”
Dern has so far kept an undefeated record of 7-0, with four wins via submission.
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