Mackenzie Dern

Yan showed improved grappling skills in fending off submission ace Dern over the course of five rounds in Las Vegas.

With the fight potentially on the line in the fifth, Dern was able to work inside and drag the fight to the floor, where she quickly moved to the back and was able to work in her hooks. 5 Dern (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) falls to 1-2 in her past three contests. Dern shot forward early in the fourth, latching on to a single-leg takedown that she wasn't able to convert. Yan landed a few punishing kicks to the body, as well as big punches up top, all while using active footwork to keep away from any further grappling exchanges. Undeterred, Dern was able to maneuver into position for a deep arm-triangle attempt before abandoning it to move to mount. She did eventually work the action to the canvas late in the frame, though she was largely unable to capitalize with any real submission attempts.

Xiaonan managed to defend well on the ground and prevent Dern from locking in any of her nasty submissions.

Xiaonan's ability to survive the dangerous end to the fight proved to be enough as she managed to make it to the final bell and take the win via majority decision by scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 47-47. As Dern became visibly frustrated, Xiaonan relied on her movement and strength to pop off strikes while not being sucked into dangerous exchanges on the ground. Xiaonan did well in the first round, landing leg kicks and using movement to poke at Dern with a variety of punches.

Yan Xiaonan moves to 16-3 and closer to a strawweight title shot after her win over Mackenzie Dern on Saturday. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC).

Click here to find out more about our partners. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. You can select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices.

UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan took place Oct. 1 at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Strawweight contenders Mackenzie Dern (12-3) and Yan Xiaonan (16-3, 1 NC) ...

Round 5: Dern comes out swinging for the fences, and gets in tight to clinch Yan against the fence. Yan able to get back to her feet and Dern lands a jab to the body. Dern gets in close and lands a short uppercut, Yan comes up short on a nasty elbow, and Dern looks for another throw. Dern is so close to an armbar and she’s got it. Under 40 seconds and Yan lands a clean right hand and a counter leg kick, Dern returns with one of her own, but Yan keeps crushing the lead leg. Yan trying to escape this awful position, and she clears a hook, but just for a second. Yan defending, and Dern looks for an armbar, then transitions to a triangle attempt, then around to the back again. Dern comes up way short on a high kick, and Yan drills a right hand to the right eye of Dern, which is starting to show the damage. Final two minutes of the round, Dern seems to have recovered, but eats a hard leg kick. Dern executing an omoplata and Yan is in a little bit of trouble here with over two minutes to work. Dern holding on to a single leg and Yan is desperately trying to defend. Round 3: Leg kick from Yan immediately, another one as Dern tries to move forward.

Women's strawweight contenders Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan headlined Saturday's UFC Vegas 61 fight card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Dern worked to get the fight on the mat but Xiaonan landed in top position. She used punches to close the distance but was unable to get Xiaonan to the ground. Dern pulled guard and pulled Xiaonan to the ground. Xiaonan worked her way back to her feet and Dern pressed forward. Dern recovered and Xiaonan went back to landing leg kicks. She used a sidekick to keep Dern on the outside and targeted Dern’s lead leg with kicks.

Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan will share the octagon this Saturday night as the two fighters are set to clash in the main event of UFC Fight Night 211.

Her striking should allow her to win most of the round while keeping distance, and once the inevitable clinch occurs, she has the skills necessary to keep the fight standing for the scheduled 15-minute affair. As much as I want to go Dern in nearly ever one of her fights, she needs to show improvement in either striking or wrestling for me to back her at a steep price over the top of the strawweight division. If she can show improvement in this area, she is more than good enough to attack against what her opposition does poorly which is a very good tactic to win fights. However, where she finds her most success, is if she can swarm with pressure and put Yan against the cage where she tends to skirt around anyway, Dern can enter a clinch and drag her down. While she does still have a wealth of attacks to throw on the feet, the effectiveness of striking has fallen short when fighting the elite of the elite in striking. Where Dern is consistent in her fight approach and performance(s) put forth, Yan Xiaonan is the exact opposite. This difficulty is not too surprising knowing other elite jiu-jitsu fighters lack elite wrestling, but even though not surprising, it is a significant issue for Dern given if the fight fails to hit the mat, it is more than likely Dern will fail to get the win when facing the elite of the elite. This elite attribute of finishing fights on the mat makes her an extremely fun fighter to watch, but also, makes her one of, if not, the most dangerous fighter to face off against given if it hits the mat, it is likely over. Dern is athletic and powerful but unrefined and technically limited so she finds the most success on the feet when striking in the pocket. It works particularly well as she tends to over extend with her hands, allowing her opponents to angle and slip off of the line, but by chaining her kicks onto the end of her combination, she in a way cuts off the escape route. She likes to skirt the outside, staying on her bike and picking her opponent apart by bouncing in and out with her jab, then jab-fake and chaining in her right straight. Yan is on a two-fight skid after what was an impressive six-fight winning streak to start her time in the UFC.

The strawweights are set to battle it out in Las Vegas with title contender status on the line.

Assuming Xiaonan doesn't suddenly find her power against high-level fighters and Dern doesn't decide to just chase Xiaonan while trying to turn the fight into a brawl on the feet, it feels pretty clear that the biggest question heading into the fight is whether Dern scores the submission or if she wins on the cards. It's basically a certainty that Xiaonan won't be able to brute force her way out of clinches or outscramble Dern if the fight hits the floor. Xiaonan has good movement and striking, but she also can lean on trying to outmuscle opponents when they're able to pressure her. Dern (12-2) also suffered a recent loss to Rodriguez, losing by decision in October 2021. I'm always thinking 'technique, technique.' If I just rip it off and don't give them a chance to tap, I might pull their shoulder and they may need surgery or something like that. If I give her time to think, I settle for, 'I'll get her on the next one...' No, I need to just do it. While Dern has never scored a knockout victory, she is still a vicious finisher. Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan are set to step into the UFC Octagon on Saturday night with the goal of establishing themselves as potential players in the women's strawweight title scene. Those losses came after a 12-fight winning streak, including six wins in the Octagon. The 115-pound showdown headlines the UFC Fight Night card from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+, 7 p.m. "When I go to submit, I can't think these girls are going to tap," Dern said. The native of China will enter the cage on a two-fight losing skid, having suffered a TKO loss to Carla Esparza and dropping a split decision to Marina Rodriguez in a fight many felt Xiaonan had done enough to win.

All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Brown (16-4, 10-4 UFC). Trinaldo (28-9, 18-8 UFC) struggled to manage distance for the better part of 10 minutes.

[UFC Vegas 61 Prelims: Latifi Stifles Fading Oleynik](/news/news/UFC-Fight-Night-211-Prelims-Daniel-Gustavo-Santos-Knee-Strike-Wrecks-John-Castaneda-188112) [« Previous UFC Fight Night 211 ‘Dern vs. Davis (10-2, 3-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28, 30-26 and 30-26 marks from the cageside judiciary. Yusuff (13-2, 6-1 UFC) slammed the door on the Octagon newcomer 30 seconds into Round 1, netting the second-fastest submission in the history of the 145-pound weight class. All three judges sided with Barcelos (17-3, 6-2 UFC): 30-25, 30-27 and 30-27. Brown sat him down with a right hand and threatened with a guillotine choke in the first round, leaned on a persistent jab and connected with front kicks to the body. Yan (16-3, 7-2 UFC) managed to stay on her feet long enough to bank the requisite points across 25 minutes, denying repeated takedown attempts and cutting loose with crisp combinations to the head, all while attacking the body and legs with kicks.

Mackenzie Dern entered the UFC Vegas 61 main event at the UFC Apex on Saturday against Yan Xiaonan ranked No. 5 in the women's strawweight division.

“I’m going to be a champion one day. I’m learning on the spot, and I’m going to be a champion,” said an emotional Dern. “Thank you so much to the fans, so sorry if I disappointed anyone! Congrats to The bout went the distance and Xiaonan was declared the win by majority decision. When the fight did hit the canvas, Dern dominated position but couldn’t secure a submission finish.

Yan Xiaonan moves to 16-3 and closer to a strawweight title shot after her win over Mackenzie Dern on Saturday. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC).

Click here to find out more about our partners. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. You can select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices.