Mackenzie Dern is expected to make her return at UFC 253 as the strawweight will fight Randa Markos at the pay-per-view.
Dern managed to rebound from her loss against Amanda Ribas by dropping Hannah Cifers at UFC on ESPN 9. Despite her setback against Ribas, the strawweight has won four out of her last five fights, notably beating Ashley Yoder (via split decision at UFC 222) and Amanda Cooper (via submission at UFC 224). Dern has a professional record of 8 wins and 1 loss.
Markos is hoping to rebuild momentum following her loss to Amanda Ribas at UFC Fight Night 170. The strawweight’s record in her last five fights contains only two wins, dropping Angela Hill (via submission at UFC Fight Night 148) and Ashley Yoder (via split decision at UFC Fight Night 162). Overall, Markos’ professional record currently stands at 10 wins, 8 losses, and 1 no contest.
UFC 253 will take place on September 19 with Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje for the UFC Lightweight title expected to be the main event. The placement of the strawweight bout between Dern and Markos has yet to be determined.