Mackenzie (right) asks for a fight at UFC 224, in Rio. Photo: Instagram / mackenziedern
Mackenzie dern debuted in Ultimate with a narrow victory against Ashley Yorder UFC 222, held last Saturday (03). Touted before her debut in the octagon as 'New Ronda Rousey', the jiu-jitsu black belt recognizes that she still has a lot of room to improve to reach the top of the strawweight division (up to 52,1 kg.).
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“I want to continue to improve in all areas. I showed that I am working hard to be a well-rounded mixed martial artist. I can’t wait to get back there and fight again”, said Mackenzie, who asked to be on the card in Rio de Janeiro, on May 12th. “I'm hoping to fight in Rio at UFC 224. Brazil is one of my homes and it would be an honor to fight for the UFC in Rio de Janeiro,” she added.
Mackenzie, who is the daughter of fighter Wellington Megaton, was born in the USA, but lived in Rio de Janeiro for several years and currently resides in Arizona. With dual nationality, she revealed that she didn't know how to choose which country to represent in the octagon. This fact generated an unusual moment in the interview after her victory. Dern, who speaks Portuguese and English fluently, called translator Jorge Gurgel to the press conference. But after presenter Joe Rogan had his question translated into Portuguese, Mackenzie responded in English.
“I thought they wanted me to speak Portuguese too. In fact, I was going to speak in Portuguese when he responded, so I was unsure whether to speak English or Portuguese first. I have many Brazilian fans and I also wanted to respond in Portuguese, say something in Portuguese. They were more doubtful about whether I was going to speak in Portuguese or English first, so when they saw that I understood everything in English, they left it,” he revealed.
With the victory at UFC 222, Mackenzie dern remains undefeated in MMA with six wins in six fights as a professional.
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