Tecia Torres’ newfound upward trajectory now faces a serious impediment.
“The Tiny Tornado” will take aim at 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Mackenzie Dern in a three-round UFC 273 women’s strawweight showcase on Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Torres steps into the Octagon with the wind of a three-fight winning streak in her sails. She last fought at UFC 265, where she laid claim to a unanimous decision over former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Angela Hill on Aug. 7. Dern, meanwhile, has won four of her past five bouts. She last appeared on Oct. 9, when she was outpointed by Marina Rodriguez in the UFC Fight Night 194 main event.
As Torres and Dern inch ever closer to their high-stakes encounter at 115 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
29: Years of age for Dern, who was born in Phoenix on March 24, 1993.
7: Dern victories by decision, accounting for 64% of her career total (11). Her methods of choice: three rear-naked chokes, three-armbars and one kneebar. Dern owns four other victories by decision.
147: Seconds needed for Dern to submit Amanda Bobby Brundage with a rear-naked choke at UFC 224 on May 12, 2018. Having occurred nearly four years ago, it remains the fastest finish of her 13-fight career.
6: Consecutive calendar years in which Dern has fought at least once. She went 2-0 in 2016, 3-0 in 2017, 2-0 in 2018, 0-1 in 2019, 3-0 in 2020 and 1-1 in 2021.
.844: Cumulative winning percentage between the two women—Rodriguez and Amanda Ribas—who have defeated Dern. They boast a combined record of 27-3-2.
32: Years of age for Torres, who was born on Aug. 16, 1989 in Fall River, Massachusetts.
2: Torres wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission, accounting for 16% of her career total (13). She submitted Juliana Lima with a second-round rear-naked choke at “The Ultimate Fighter 25” Finale on July 7, 2017 and forced a first-round corner stoppage against Sam Hughes at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, 2020. Torres holds 11 other wins by decision.
900: Significant strikes landed by Torres as an Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight, placing her third on the promotion’s all-time list at 115 pounds. Only Joanna Jedrzejczyk (1,633) and the aforementioned Hill (1,466) have connected with more.
50: Rounds completed by Torres as a mixed martial artist. She has gone the distance on 16 different occasions and carries an 11-5 record in those bouts.
86: Combined victories between the five women—Rodriguez, Jedrzejczyk, Weili Zhang, Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas—who have beaten Torres. They sport a cumulative winning percentage of .789 (86-21-2).
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