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.