Mackenzie Dern outlasts Virna Jandiroba to win UFC belt at UFC 321

The two women traded low kicks to begin the fight before they started strading punches, and both fighters landed some good shots during the opening two minutes before Jandiroba managed to hit the first takedown. The Brazilian didn't play around on the mat too much before the pair returned to striking, but after taking a couple hard shots Jandiroba decided to bring things to the canvas again.

It was Dern who opened the second frame with a takedown attempt that was stuffed relatively easily, and Jandiroba found considerably more success with her striking before another takedown briefly put Dern on her back. Dern initially managed to reverse a takedown attempt during the latter half of the round, but Jandiroba ended up in top position again and maintained that position until just before the bell.

A big exchange to start the third round opened the chance for Jandiroba to get right back on top in the center of the cage before Dern fought back to her feet. The rest of the third frame followed a similar pattern to the previous two rounds, as Dern largely got the better of things on the feet but struggled to defend takedowns when Jandiroba shot for them.

The fourth round saw Dern finally hit her first takedown with under a minute to go until the bell. Following a hard-fought final five minutes, Dern got the better of Jandiroba for the second time via the judges' scorecards and claim the UFC's vacant strawweight title.