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While UFC 321 will always be remembered for the unfortunate Tom Aspinall double eye poke, the night in Abu Dhabi also marked a historic milestone for Mackenzie Dern. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace finally captured UFC gold, defeating Virna Jandiroba in the co-main event to claim the vacant strawweight title. This championship clash came together after long-reigning champion Zhang Weili vacated her belt to move up and challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight crown set for UFC 322 in New York next month. Despite Dern’s breakthrough moment, ushering in a new era for the 115lbs division, former UFC lightweight and analyst Din Thomas had dismissed the co-main event as irrelevant ahead of the event. His comments didn’t sit well with fans, with Dern now publicly responding to his criticism in a recent appearance. Mackenzie Dern Vows to Be a Fighting Champion And Declares That No UFC Title Fight Is Ever Irrelevant During fight week, Thomas stirred controversy by questioning whether Dern vs. Jandiroba was the most insignificant UFC title fight in recent memory. He argued that the bout lacked fan interest, a statement that didn’t sit well with the new strawweight champion. Thomas’ comments came in the wake of Weili’s move to flyweight. The Chinese ace’s dominance had made her a major draw in the division, and her departure left a noticeable void. On top of that, Dern entered the fight with a 2–2 record in her last four outings and was ranked #5 at 115 lbs, which Thomas felt weakened the matchup’s appeal. However, Dern had plenty to say in response. Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, she addressed his remarks head-on. She said, “Jon Jones gave up his belt and Tom Aspinall became the champ. What do we in the division have to do? People can’t retire?” Dern went on to explain that fighters moving divisions or retiring don’t make the titles they leave behind meaningless. She stated, “People just want to leave and go up a weight class and change things, so it’s like, if there’s a vacated belt, who else would fight for the belt? So I don’t understand what would be so insignificant about fighting a champion.” She then added, “Weili, if she wanted to, she’s accomplished everything — she didn’t even need to go up in weight. If she wanted to just retire, she could just retire, and then what are they going to do?” Dern concluded, “They’re going to keep the division open. They gotta have a champion, so I don’t understand. How is any champion fight insignificant?” Dern made a fair point. The UFC lightweight division once went through a long stretch without a champion in the mid-2000s after BJ Penn and Caol Uno fought to a draw, and Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca later tested positive for banned substances. Still, the division recovered and is now considered one of the most competitive in the sport. Additionally, there was plenty of history and intrigue behind Dern vs. Jandiroba 2. The two had previously fought at UFC 256, where Dern won by unanimous decision. Moreover, Jandiroba was on a five-fight win streak, defeating the likes of Yan Xiaonan and Amanda Lemos. Their rematch not only carried a built-in storyline but arguably surpassed their first encounter in entertainment value. As Dern noted, “It’s just crazy for me to hear. Unless he’s talking about stylistically-wise. But it’s like, Virna was on a five-fight win streak, submitting and taking down these girls. She’s like a strawweight mini-Khabib [Nurmagomedov]-type girl.” She added, “I don’t know who else he wanted to fight, so I don’t understand. As a commentator, I think he even helps with training, coaching, and stuff. I thought it was a little bit — I didn’t understand it.”
