'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Fresh off a dominant victory over Nina Nunes, Mackenzie Dern is already looking ahead to a potential title match against the winner of the UFC 261 showdown between Rose Namajunas and Weili Zhang on April 24.
Not only that, but Dern also believes she knows who she'd likely have to beat for the title if she gets a championship opportunity.
"I see myself with those girls soon, in the near future. A lot of things can happen but I think Zhang Weili, she'll keep the belt. She looks - at least from social media, I don't know her personally - but she looks [like she's] just training, training, training all the time," Dern said in the post-fight press conference of UFC Vegas 23.
Mackenzie Dern impressed in her last outing against Nunes last Saturday. The Brazilian-American took control of the fight early on when she took Nunes down and secured a dominant position on the ground. Dern finished the fight after locking in a tight armbar to get the submission win in the first round.
Will Mackenzie Dern fight the winner of Rose Namajunas vs. Weili Zhang at UFC 261?
Rose Namajunas will get a chance to reclaim her UFC women's strawweight title against dominant champion Weili Zhang. This comes after Namajunas avenged her loss to Jessica Andrade, who the Chinese-fighter defeated for the title.
Meanwhile, the reigning strawweight champ has been unstoppable since making her UFC debut in 2018. 'Magnum' is now 5-0 in the Octagon and is currently on a mind-boggling 21-fight win streak.
For Mackenzie Dern, her recent performance put her one step closer to a title shot. The win ascended her to the fifth-ranked spot in the women's strawweight division. Former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Yan Xiaonan, and Carla Esparza are ahead of Mackenzie Dern in the rankings, but given her form over 2020 and into this year, it's not impossible to think Dern will secure a UFC title opportunity before those other women get one.
