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Amanda Nunes has reacted to Marina Rodriguez’s victory over Mackenzie Dern at UFC Fight Night 194.
The reigning UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion took to her official Twitter account to express her respect for Marina Rodriguez and Mackenzie Dern. Amanda Nunes’ tweet read as follows:
“Awesome fight girls congrats @wmmarz”
The fight between Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez was a pivotal matchup in helping a new title contender rise at 115 pounds. Heading into the bout, Dern was ranked No. 4 in the official UFC women’s strawweight rankings, whereas Rodriguez was ranked No.6.
The duo faced off in a five-round strawweight bout that headlined UFC Fight Night 194. The contest started with both competitors showcasing brilliant offensive and defensive skills.
As the fight progressed, it became increasingly evident that Mackenzie Dern had a significant advantage in the grappling realm, while Marina Rodriguez was much more dangerous in the striking department. This didn’t come as a surprise to most fans and experts in the MMA community, given Dern’s history as a highly accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and Rodriguez’s well-known striking skills.
While Rodriguez appeared to have gotten the better of Dern in round one, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu savant bounced back in round two. Dern almost finished the fight after taking it to the mat, nearly submitting her foe on multiple occasions in the second round.
Marina Rodriguez somehow managed to survive the grueling round and turned things around in the third frame. Rodriguez thoroughly out-struck Dern in the third round, stealing the momentum and once again taking control of the fight.
Dern was then out-struck for the majority of round four as well, but she almost secured a submission after getting the fight to the canvas late in the round. Round five clearly belonged to Rodriguez, however, as she kept the fight on the feet and out-struck Dern. The bout ended in a unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) win for Rodriguez.
Marina Rodriguez aims for UFC gold while Amanda Nunes looks to defend her throne
Marina Rodriguez’s striking clinic against Mackenzie Dern is likely to give her huge impetus on her quest to win the UFC women’s strawweight title. Rodriguez’s next fight could be a title shot or a number-one contender matchup, at the very least.
Meanwhile, Amanda Nunes is set to defend her UFC women’s bantamweight title against Julianna Pena at UFC 269 on December 11th, 2021.
