Following some heated trash-talk from upcoming opponent Amanda Cooper, Mackenzie Dern has come forward with a statement concerning the fighter. Dern is ready to put her skills to the test in Brazil.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Mackenzie Dern is set to face off against Amanda Cooper in her sophomore octagon performance. Dern earned a split decision victory over Ashley Yoder in her octagon debut, bringing the undefeated fighter to 6-0.
Now Dern and Cooper are set to face off on the highly anticipated fight card of UFC 224. The live pay-per-view event will take place May 12 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Speaking to MMA Weekly, Dern has offered her thoughts on Cooper’s recent trash-talk.
“I know that she’s talking a lot. I’m not a trash talker so it’s different for me to fight someone that’s talking so bad about me. I mean they can criticize my stand up but my jiu-jitsu, I don’t see anyone at 115 [pounds] who has jiu-jitsu like mine. Maybe I need to work my wrestling, my transitions, but jiu-jitsu level wise, there’s nothing she can say.
“She’s also going to fight in Brazil. She shouldn’t be talking. The best way to fight in Brazil is to be a little quieter and try to get the crowd on your side, not against you.”
“I haven’t seen anything of her. I haven’t seen any of her fights. My coaches have sent me little clips. I’ve never seen her fights. I didn’t even know who she was before they offered her to me. Afterwards they told me she was in “The Ultimate Fighter” house with Ashley [Yoder] so I ended up fighting out about Amanda when they offered her to me.”
“I definitely think that Amanda’s a way better fight for me than Ashley. Everybody was talking about my debut and of course going into the fight I’m not going to say I’m nervous or anything but I knew Ashley was a tough fight for a debut. She’s long, she’s a southpaw, she’s a brown belt in jiu-jitsu. Maybe she’s not a world champion in jiu-jitsu but all her losses are by decision so she’s hard to submit,” Dern stated.
“Amanda’s totally different. Amanda, all of her losses have come by submission. She’s my size, my length, we’re almost the same size. It’s a way better matchup. I’m excited to do this fight. I think I will get the submission way easier. I don’t feel like I want to show too much of my stand up on this fight. I just want to submit her.”
