UFC strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern is ready to return to the Octagon to face Angela Hill this Saturday, 20th May, in the main event of UFC Vegas 73, and she sees this fight as part of her path to the strawweight gold.
The American fighter is returning to the cage after a gap of six months following her defeat against Xiaonan Yan at UFC Vegas 61 on 1st October 2022, when she lost via majority decision.
Dern has suffered defeat twice in her last three bouts, and the Californian assures that she is ready to overcome the setbacks she suffered against Yan as well as Marina Rodríguez, as she resumes her conquest for the belt.
“Marina (Rodriguez) and Yan Xiaonan, I think they were both really experienced fighters with good movement,” said Dern during a recent news conference. “For me, now going into this fight and with my loss, I have a vision that’s better. I don’t need to submit every single round – this pressure and this excitement like, ‘I need to submit.’ If I didn’t finish in the first round, then I didn’t finish in the second round, you could see the emotion and the frustration getting in. I’m like, ‘OK, these girls know how to win by points.’” [H/T MMA Junkie]
Aside from the Dern vs Hill main event, UFC Vegas 73 will have an electrifying co-main event where Anthony Hernandez will face Edmen Shahbazyan. Mexican fighter Guadalupe “Loopy” Godinez will also see action at the show at UFC Apex when she takes on Emily Ducote on the main card.
UFC Vegas 73 Full Fight Card
Main Card
1. Women’s Strawweight Bout: Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill
2. Middleweight Bout: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Anthony Hernandez
3. Catchweight (120 lb) Bout: Emily Ducote vs. Lupita Godinez
4. Welterweight Bout: Andre Fialho vs. Joaquin Buckley
5. Lightweight Bout: Hayisaer Maheshate vs. Viacheslav Borschev
6. Lightweight Bout: Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Michael Johnson
Preliminary Card
1. Women’s Strawweight Bout: Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Vanessa Demopoulos
2. Welterweight Bout: Orion Cosce vs. Gilbert Urbina
3. Heavyweight Bout: Ilir Latifi vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
4. Lightweight Bout: Chase Hooper vs. Nick Fiore
5. Women’s Flyweight Bout: Natalia Silva vs. Victoria Leonardo
6. Welterweight Bout: Takashi Sato vs. Themba Gorimbo
7. Flyweight Bout: Clayton Carpenter vs. Stephen Erceg
