Mackenzie Dern completely overwhelmed Angela Hill for 25 minutes in the UFC Fight Night 224 headliner.
Dern (13-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) showed off a well-rounded game when she defeated Hill (15-13 MMA, 10-13 UFC) by a lopsided unanimous decision on Saturday with scores of 49-43, 49-44, 49-44.
The strawweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 224 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Big performance, BIG win for @MackenzieDern!
She takes our #UFCVegas73 main event by unanimous decision 👏 pic.twitter.com/pGq8SxzGZK
— UFC (@ufc) May 21, 2023
Dern came out aggressively with some solid shots in Round 1, closing the distance to clinch. But Hill was able to outmuscle Dern in the clinch and disengage. Dern continued to throw heat, but her head-and-arm throw was reversed by Hill. Both women stood back up, but a few seconds later, Dern sat Hill with a big right and followed her to the ground. Dern worked in half guard, but Hill managed to fend off a kneebar attempt. Dern jumped to full mount and dropped big elbows before transitioning to an armbar, but Hill survived the round.
THE START TO THIS FIGHT FROM DERN AND HILL 😳 #UFCVegas73 pic.twitter.com/vcznl6nzd8
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 21, 2023
Round 2 started with Dern charging forward once again, this time by mixing in some kicks. Hill grabbed a hold of Dern’s back and briefly grabbed her neck for a choke, but Dern broke free. Hill continued to hold onto Dern in the clinch to slow the pace down, but Dern was able to eventually disengage. But as soon as Dern started to let her hands go, Hill grabbed a hold of her again and stacked her against the cage. Round 2 ended with both ladies throwing heavy leather in the pocket.
Dern landed big to start off Round 3, but slipped onto her back on a kick attempt. Hill followed her to the ground but was caught in a triangle choke. Hill escaped and decided to stand up. Dern rocked Hill with a knee and landed a takedown shortly after. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace transitioned to full mount and landed some ground-and-pound. Hill twisted and turned out of danger, but Dern was relentless with the attack. With seconds winding down in the round, Dern latched onto an armbar, but Hill managed to hang on and avoid getting caught.
Hill was sporting a big mouse on her left eye as she entered Round 4, but Dern was all over her with blistering combinations. Once again, Hill grabbed onto the clinch, but wasn’t able to inflict much offense. Dern worked for a takedown against the fence, but failed to get Hill down. The round ended with a Hill takedown which is revered by Dern.
Dern kicks off Round 5 with an immediate head-and-arm throw as she gained top position. This time, she was able to control Hill on the ground for the entire round, constantly attacking with submission attempts and heavy ground-and-pound to close out the fight.
Dern has top strawweights on her mind for her next fight 🧠 #UFCVegas73 pic.twitter.com/s1FRTCX3fu
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 21, 2023
Dern respectfully called out Rose Namajunas in her post-fight octagon interview with Michael Bisping, expressing her desire to compete against a former champion. She also said she’s open to running things back with Yan Xiaonan, who defeated her by majority decision in her past outing at UFC Fight Night 211 in October.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 224 results include:
- Mackenzie Dern def. Angela Hill via unanimous decision (49-43, 49-44, 49-44)
- Anthony Hernandez def. Edmen Shahbazyan via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 3, 1:01
- Loopy Godinez def. Emily Ducote via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Joaquin Buckley def. Andre Fialho via knockout (head kick and punch) – Round 2, 4:15
- Diego Ferreira def. Michael Johnson via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:50
- Viacheslav Borshchev def. Hayisaer Maheshate via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:37
- Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Vanessa Demopoulos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Gilbert Urbina def. Orion Cosce via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:55
- Rodrigo Nascimento def. Ilir Latifi via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Chase Hooper (def. Nick Fiore via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Natalia Silva def. Victoria Leonardo via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:58
- Themba Gorimbo def. Takashi Sato via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
