Mackenzie Dern dominates Gillian Robertson to retain UFC strawweight title at UFC 330

UFC 330 went down at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia this Saturday. In the co-main event, Mackenzie Dern put her UFC strawweight title on the line against fifth-ranked Gillian Robertson.

Dern captured the vacant title at UFC 321 with a unanimous decision victory over Virna Jandiroba. She entered UFC 330 riding a three-fight winning streak. Meanwhile, Robertson was riding a five-fight winning streak heading into the title fight.

Mackenzie Dern secures a dominant victory over Gillian Robertson

As the bell rang, Dern pressed forward with strikes. She mixed in leg kicks and landed a clean boxing combination. She secured a double-leg takedown and moved into top position. The champion locked in a rear-naked choke attempt late in the round, but the bell rang before she could finish the submission that saved Robertson.

Dern remained in control and dominated Roberston from the second to the fourth round. The champion dominated the fight on the ground and was constantly looking for a submission setup. The challenger had few striking successes in the third round, but it wasn't enough. 

The fight entered the fifth round, with Roberston's only way to victory being Dern. The challenger came out aggressively. She presses Dern against the cage before securing a takedown. She moved into the top position but struggled to land meaningful damage or significant strikes.

After five rounds. The fight went to the judges' scorecard. Two judges scored 49-46, one 48-47. Dern was awarded a unanimous decision victory. 

Mackenzie Dern wants to improve her finishing ability

After a dominant victory to retain the UFC strawweight title,  Dern spoke with Joe Rogan during her Octagon interview and revealed that her goal was to submit Robertson. 

However, she acknowledged that the challenger's strong grappling ability made it easier said than done and gave her credit.

“I wanted to get the submission with Gillian, but she has good jiu-jitsu, you know,” Dern said. “So it's kind of hard to get the submission, but I think I got it pretty close and still the champion.”

Despite controlling much of the fight, Dern believes she could have done more damage before attempting to set up the submission. She highlighted that the fighter fighting for the belt has enough submission defense to survive in the rounds. 

“Anyone who's fighting for the belt, they have decent enough defense, you know, so, but I wish I could do some more damage to set up the submissions better, but she's good.”

Check out Mackenzie Dern’s octagon interview below: