Mackenzie
Dern
has not yet made her expected turn toward full-fledged
contention in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight
division.
The 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World
Championships gold medalist will attempt to make further progress
at 115 pounds when she takes on
Angela Hill
in the
UFC Fight Night 223 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Dern has lost two of her past three fights. She last
appeared on Oct. 1, when she wound up on the wrong side of a
majority decision against
Xiaonan Yan
at UFC Fight Night 211. Hill, meanwhile, enters the cage on the
heels of back-to-back wins. The former
Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder last competed at UFC
on ESPN 42, where she outpointed
Emily
Ducote to a unanimous verdict on Dec. 3.
As Dern and Hill make final preparations for their forthcoming
showdown in Sin City, a look at some of the numbers that have
accompanied them to this point:
30: Years of age for Dern, who was born in Phoenix on March 24,
1993.
7: Dern victories by submission, accounting for 58% of her career
total (12). Her methods of choice: three rear-naked chokes, three
armbars and one kneebar. Dern holds five other victories by
decision (42%).
200,000: Dollars in post-fight bonuses banked by Dern across her 10
assignments in the UFC. She has been awarded “Performance of the
Night” three times and “Fight of the Night” once.
82: Significant strikes landed by Dern in her three-round unanimous
decision over
Virna
Jandiroba at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, 2020. It established a
personal high-water mark that stands to this day.
.821: Cumulative winning percentage between the three
opponents—Yan,
Marina
Rodriguez and
Amanda
Ribas—who have beaten Dern. They boast a combined record of
45-9-2.
38: Years of age for Hill, who was born on Jan. 12, 1985 in
Clinton, Maryland.
5: Hill wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 33%
of her career total (15). Her list of UFC victims:
Hannah
Cifers and
Ariane
Carnelossi. Hill owns 10 other wins by decision (67%).
99: Seconds needed for Hill to put away
Alida Gray
with a knee to the body at Invicta 15 on Jan. 16, 2016. More than
seven years later, it remains her fastest finish to date.
71: Rounds completed by Hill as a professional mixed martial
artist. She has gone the distance on 20 different occasions and
carries a 10-10 record in those bouts.
166: Combined victories between the 11 opponents—Yan, Jandiroba,
Tecia
Torres (twice),
Amanda
Lemos,
Michelle
Waterson-Gomez,
Claudia
Gadelha,
Randa
Markos,
Cortney
Casey,
Nina Nunes,
Jessica
Andrade and
Rose
Namajunas—who have defeated Hill. They sport a cumulative .690
winning percentage at 166-74-2.