Mackenzie Dern relieved to have not fought at the White House
Mackenzie Dern is among the few fighters who is glad to have skipped out on fighting at UFC Freedom 250, which she feels would have been too chaotic an ordeal.
Mackenzie Dern joined veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show. In a surprising twist, she revealed that she was glad to have not been booked for UFC Freedom 250, as the event ultimately proved too chaotic in terms of the delays and the need for the fighters to maintain constant readiness. Both were inconveniences she was thankful to have avoided.
Mackenzie Dern is glad to have not fought at the White House
UFC Freedom 250 was one of the most historic MMA events of all time, taking place on the South Lawn of the White House. It served as a celebration of 250 years of American independence, and was the marquee MMA event for 2026. Countless fighters were desperate to be featured on the card, with Jon Jones being the most notable example. However, one fighter who had no interested in fighting at the White House was Mackenzie Dern, who feels that the fight delays due to weather uncertainty, as the fights were held outdoors, would have been too stressful for her, among other variables.
So, when Ariel Helwani asked her if she was disappointed that a reported women's strawweight title fight between her and former champion Zhang Weili was scrapped from the card, Dern was honest (7:33):
"No, no. I mean, I was when I heard that it wasn't gonna happen, but after being there and working, like, I worked the event, I watched it, I was there live, and just seeing, like, what the fighters went through and just so many delays... it really is like what Dana said, you know? Just, they really had to have fighters they could really count on."
While Dern would have been up to the task, she acknowledges that UFC Freedom 250 would have been more chaotic than she would have liked. She is now scheduled to defend her women's strawweight title, which she won at UFC 321 by beating Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision in a rematch from UFC 256. Dern will face Gillian Robertson, who is on a five-fight win streak, at UFC 330. The winner will likely face a returning Zhang, who failed in her attempt at dethroning Valentina Shevchenko as women's flyweight champion at UFC 322, losing to her via unanimous decision.
