This fight is for the vacant strawweight title because former champion Weili Zhang has moved up to fight Valentina for the Flyweight title. But not only is this a title fight, it is also a rematch from 5 years ago where Mackenzie won a decision.

This is an interesting fight to break down because i recognize it is a rematch, but i don't care. I have been pretty vocal about rematches that happened many years ago. Fighters change, the sport changes, everyone evolves, I don't care what happened in the first fight and I break these down as if they are new. If I am looking at this fresh I see a nasty wrestler and a nasty grappler. I expect this entire fight to take place on the ground. My gut is telling me that Virna gets the takedowns, stays safe and grinds a win but my brain is saying that Mackenzie's only chance here is to get a submission and she will be exactly where she wants to be, the ground, the entirety of this fight. I'm going with my gut here, that big beautiful bastard has served me well over the years and i expect more of the same here.

Virna Jandiroba

Virna Jandiroba is a grinder who is solid on the ground. Her striking is just ok but she hits hard and throws with solid volume. She doesn't have much head movement and the stats tell that story as well with her negative striking differential. There are no secrets to her gameplan, throw big heavy punches and look for a takedown. She is 8-3 in the UFC and quickly becoming the best wrestler in the division. She is coming off the decision win over Yan Xiaonan where she had 3 takedowns and 10 minutes of control

Mackenzie Dern

Mackezie Dern is an amazing grappler who has had mixed results in MMA. While her grappling remains elite, she has not progressed as well in the wrestling or the striking. She has a negative striking differential and a horrific 17% takedown accuracy. But she is insanely tough and has no quit in her at all. She is coming off the submission win over Amanda Ribas which I witnessed live with Jacob back in January