Mackenzie Dern eyes super fight with UFC 322 star next as she vows to ‘beat the best’

Mackenzie Dern eyes battle with Zhang Weili next

Joining the history books in Abu Dhabi, Dern became just the second ADCC and Jiu-Jitsu World Cup gold medalist to win a UFC championship, joining former heavyweight star Fabricio Werdum.

And hoping to improve on her legacy further, the Arizona-born star revealed a pairing with Chinese sensation Zhang Weili likely makes the most sense for her next — in her quest to take out the best of the best on offer.

“I’m not gonna be like a baby champion,” Dern told Ariel Helwani. “I wanna be like whatever they [the UFC] want us to do — you know what I mean? We’ll be ready, and we’ll train for that. I wanna beat the best — I am the best right now, but I wanna be able to beat whoever is coming.

“…I think like probably someone with a win streak,” Dern said of her first title defense opponent. “I think (Zhang) Weili, even if she was to lose to Valentina (Shevchenko), but her win streak — like her being the former champion, that makes sense. And then, Tatiana (Suarez) is coming off a win.”

Mackenzie Dern promises active title reign

Seeing her career in the sport limited amid her pregnancy with her young daughter, Moa — whom she embraced after her Octagon heroics over the weekend — Dern has plans to enjoy an active reign.

Already welcoming the chance to take on now-former champion Weili, the decorated grappler claims more training and preparation will turn her into a “beast” in her comeback tour.

“If I can get to the organization and everything I did for this camp and just continue that for 2 months, 6 months, a whole year, 3 years… Imagine the type of beast I could become,” Dern explained.