Mackenzie Dern Offers Blunt Response to Ian Machado Garry’s ‘Women Ruled the World’ Take

Ian Machado Garry might just be the UFC’s perfect heel right now. At least, “The American Gangster” Chael Sonnen seems to think so. Like the best heels in WWE history, the Irishman has mastered the art of saying exactly what will get people talking, whether they love him or loathe him. 

Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock understood that being the bad guy wasn’t always about being hated. In fact, it was about making people care. Garry seems to be doing much the same in MMA.  This time, his comments about women running the world struck a nerve he probably didn’t expect. 

The UFC welterweight title challenger recently argued that the world would be a better place if women were in charge, pointing to his wife and her influence on his life. It was meant as praise, but not everyone heard it that way. Among those with a different perspective is Mackenzie Dern. 

Garry’s Comments Draw Pushback as Mackenzie Dern Offers Own View

Garry's comments came during a recent interview with High Performance, in which the Irishman spoke openly about his belief that women could do a better job of running the world.

“If the world was run by women, we'd all live in a better world,” the 28-year-old said. “It would all be simpler and easier. That's the fact of the matter, whether you want to agree with it or not. If women ruled the world, and we just listened to them and let them take over, it would be an easier world.”

In Garry's defense, his view was largely rooted in his admiration for his better half and the influence she has had on him. But the comments didn't exactly go unnoticed in the MMA world.

Uros Medic Disagrees with Garry

Uros Medic, for one, had no interest in letting the idea slide. While discussing Garry's upcoming welterweight title fight against Islam Makhachev, Medic took an entirely different position, arguing that Garry's personal relationship shouldn't be used as a blueprint for how the wider world should operate.

UFC Strawweight Champion Dern appears to have a different philosophy, although she isn't approaching it with the same confrontational energy.

Speaking about her own upbringing and views on relationships, Dern explained that the women in her family taught her to be strong and independent. Being a strong woman, however, doesn't mean she wants to take the lead in every part of her life.

“I come from a traditional upbringing. Obviously the women in my family are super strong and independent and they taught me how to be strong woman,” the 33-year-old said during the pre-fight media briefing. “But I like men protecting and leading, I like to just relax. If I need to go to war with him, I will.”

For Dern, there is no contradiction in being capable of standing on her own while still wanting a traditional dynamic with a partner, adding, “I’m a mommy, so I think it's good being a strong woman and we don’t depend on guys, but I like men taking the lead.”

Gillian Robertson Blasts Dern for Being Phony

On Saturday night at UFC 330, Dern will defend her strawweight title against Gillian Robertson, and the challenger has made it clear that there is genuine bad blood between them.

Robertson, who enters the fight on a five-fight winning streak, believes that the champion has spent much of the buildup talking down her jiu-jitsu and questioning her credibility as a fighter. What apparently bothers her most, though, is that Robertson feels Dern has softened her stance now that fight week has arrived.

“She was making comments all through the camp about how she doesn't know me, she doesn't think my jiu-jitsu's good, and all this stuff,” Robertson told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC 330 media day. “Now she's like, 'Oh, no, it's not anything. It's not that I don't like her.' I'm like, 'Why are we trying to take this back now?' You're talking all this s**t through camp. Keep that same energy.”

Gillian Robertson Continues Verbal Onslaught

Robertson didn’t stop there; she added, “I don't like her right now. We're about to fight each other this week.”

The challenger even pointed to their faceoff in front of the Rocky statue in Pennsylvania as another example of what she considers Dern's mixed signals. While the Canadian expected a little more hostility, Dern flipped the script and shook her hand twice.

“I expected her to be a little bit more aggressive,” Robertson said. “She shook my hand twice, and it kind of threw me off. I thought we were talking s**t.”

That tension gives Saturday's title fight an edge that goes well beyond rankings and championship gold. The 31-year-old challenger isn't questioning whether Dern is a dangerous opponent. She's questioning whether the champion means what she says.