"It is just the beginning" - Mackenzie Dern posts heartwarming message after winning UFC strawweight title

Mackenzie Dern recently issued a positive statement after becoming the new UFC women's strawweight champion.

The co-main event of UFC 321 featured a rematch between Dern and Virna Jandiroba for the vacant strawweight gold after then-champion Zhang Weili moved up to challenge flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 322. Notably, Dern won their first meeting at UFC 256 in 2020 by unanimous decision. She entered the title contest with a two-fight win streak, the most recent being a third-round win over Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 101. Meanwhile, Jandiroba was coming off a unanimous decision victory against Yan Xiaonan at UFC 314.

It was a closely contested fight as both fighters gave their everything inside the octagon. After 25 minutes of back-and-forth action, Dern was declared the winner via unanimous decision. The judges scored the contest 48–47 X2, 49–46 in favor of her.

Dern recently took to Instagram and thanked everyone for their unwavering support:

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''UFC Strawweight WORLD CHAMPION! For some, this is the final point, but for me it is just the beginning! Thank you to my coaches, my manager, my team, my family, friends and fans!! I have so much to grow and get better and I will do my best to work harder every single day! Thank you Abu Dhabi! The place I won’t 2 of my world titles! You have a special place in my heart! The Jiu-Jitsu girl made it to the top! All glory to God!''

Dern displayed her striking prowess against Jandiroba, who took a wrestling approach towards the 32-year-old. However, Dern was able to counter Jandiroba's attempts and prevailed by putting on an impressive performance in front of the Arab audience. Notably, she is prepared to defend her throne against Weili at UFC White House if the former champion returns to strawweight.

Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena