Prospect passes test
Young Dern far from perfect, but good enough to beat Yoder by split decision in UFC debut
As a former jiu-jitsu world champion and arguably the most celebrated MMA prospect in the world today, Mackenzie Dern is going to have to get used to scrutiny from UFC fans.
On Saturday night, though, Dern showed that she deserves her shot.
There were ups-anddowns in her debut against Ashley Yoder, and yes, there are improvements she needs to make if she’s going to one day compete for the UFC’s 115-pound title.
But for a 24-year-old fighter competing in MMA for only the sixth time, Dern looked pretty good on Saturday. Good enough, at least.
Yoder got the better of their striking exchanges, but that’s to be expected. Dern has spent most of her life working on her jiu-jitsu. She’s new to this whole punching and kicking thing and it’s going to take her a while before she learns all the nuances — move your head, for one.
On the ground, though? Dern looked as good as advertised.
After a back-and-forth two rounds in which Dern couldn’t find a way to take Yoder to the mat, she finally managed it with a little over a minute left in the third.
From there, Dern looked magnificent.
She wrapped Yoder up in a body triangle and appeared close to securing a submission, all while landing hard punches whenever the opportunity opened it up. Yoder survived, but barely. There never seemed to be any chance that she’d escape.
The UFC needs to take its time with Dern. Her background as a world jiu-jitsu champion means she’s got a much higher profile than most prospect, and it seems like fans are already champing at the bit to turn on her.
The tools are there, though, and if she’s given the time and the right opponents, there’s every reason to believe she can be a special, special fighter.
THAT’S HOW YOU START
In terms of UFC debuts, they don’t get much better than what Alex Hernandez pulled off on Saturday night.
Hernandez was called up by MMA’s most prominent promotion and tasked with fighting Beneil Dariush, the company’s No. 12-ranked lightweight, on less than three weeks’ notice.
It wasn’t much time to prepare, but Hernandez didn’t need much time to finish the fight, either.
Only 42 seconds into the first round, Hernandez connected with a perfectly timed left hand and it was lights-out for Dariush.
The loss probably hurts Dariush more than it helps Hernandez, who will need to prove himself against at least a couple more quality opponents before anyone really knows whether he belongs anywhere near the lightweight top-15.
For Dariush, though, this is the sort of loss that tends to see fighters fall out of the rankings entirely. Lightweight is the most stacked division in the entire UFC, and anyone looking to be considered a contender can’t get knocked out by a rookie in less than a minute.
NO HAPPY ENDING
MMA is not a sport that goes easy on fighters just because they’re on the way out
As much as fans would love for their favourites to leave on a high note, it rarely happens.
On Saturday afternoon, Mike Pyle became the latest in a long line of fighters to retire with a loss when he was TKOd by Zak Ottow on the preliminary card at UFC 222.
“I loved it, I loved every bit of it,” Pyle said when he was asked to reflect on his career.
Saturday night’s performance wasn’t much to write home about, as Pyle was on the receiving end of a looping right hand that floored him and the fight was stopped when Ottow followed up with some brutal ground and pound.
It was a disappointing end for a fighter who never quite reached the top of the MMA world, but was widely respected for his work in the gym and willingness to fight whoever the UFC put in front of him.
Not everyone ends up being a hall-of-famer, and Pyle certainly didn’t get to
that point, but there’s something to be said for a fighter who outlasted his contemporaries and stick around in a sport that takes its toll on everyone who competes.
“Mike is an absolute legend,” Ottow said.
“He’s a pioneer in our division and in MMA in general, so it was an honour to be able to be his last fight.”