Mackenzie Dern edged out a competitive fight with Virna Jandiroba tonight at UFC 321 to claim a unanimous decision victory and become the UFC’s new strawweight champion.

Round One

Calf kick for Jandiroba and one in return from Dern. Another one lands for Dern. Quick flurry of punches from her, but they don’t land.

Overhand right for Dern. She looks for punches and Jandiroba lands another low kick to disrupt her rhythm.

One-two for Jandiroba. Nice punch for Dern. She lands another couple of strikes. Jandiroba tries for a takedown and Dern shrugs it off.

Dern lands a good punch. Now it’s Jandiroba who lands crisply. Jandiroba upping her volume and lands a low kick.

Body kick for Jandiroba and stays active, successfully landing a takedown.

Dern happy to work off her back, and in fact purposefully pulls Jandiroba towards her when she tries to back off.

Jandiroba stays cautious though and they end up back on the feet. Dern turning Jandiroba into the cage now, but they soon back off to striking range.

Solid punch lands for Dern. Body kick for her and then Jandiroba works another takedown. Bit of a stalemate position here and then Dern throws punches to enable her to get space to stand back up.

Jandiroba remains clinched up, but Dern reverses that against the cage. A few light punches and knees from Dern and Jandiroba tries for a couple too.

Round Two

One-two for Dern. Dern looks for a potential takedown, but settles for the clinch against the cage.

Knees to the thigh from Dern then she breaks away. Glancing left hand from Dern.

Dern swinging hard with punches. Nice right hand from Jandiroba. Dern with a couple of swings that don’t connect and Jandiroba lands on an overhand.

Left hand from jandiroba as she stays busy. Low kick for her. Now a takedown that she lands. Dern’s nose looking a little red, but she’s active off her back with hammerfists. Now Jandiroba lands a few of her own on top. Dern kicks her off to return to the feet.

Punches exchanged, but not as clean as earlier. They both load up on a power punch each that miss. Jandiroba in on another takedown and there’s an extended scramble as they roll multiple times, but it’s Jandiroba who ends up on top.

They exchange hammerfists on the mat in half-guard. Dern using her legs now to keep Jandiroba at bay as she continues to feed out some hammerfists. Dern then gets up and there’s a left hand from Jandiroba as the round ends. Jandiroba with significant swelling below her right eye as she returns to her corner.

Round Three

Jab for Dern and a swing-and-a-miss from Jandiroba. Nice right hand from Dern. Now a body kick that lands solidy for Dern, but Jandiroba uses that to take her down in the center of the Octagon.

Dern striking off her back and then finds her way back to the feet. Jab for Dern. Now a nice right hand from Jandiroba.

Right hand from Dern grazes the target. Dern tries for a takedown, but is able to clinch against the cage. She works a knee to the body. Dern reaching for a single-leg and Jandiroba starts landing nice elbows to the head to deter her.

They go back to striking range. Dern has some damage below her right eye too now.

leg kick for Dern. Miss from Jandiroba. Dern clinches against the cage again. A knee to the thigh and foot stomps for her and then separates.

They exchange a few punches. Head kick attempt from Jandiroba. Now she works for a takedown against the cage and lands it. Good elbows to the top of the head from Dern as Jandiroba is in her guard.

Dern continuing to be active off her back with short strikes as Jandiroba focuses on control. A couple of punches from Jandiroba and then a flurry of elbow strikes from Dern.

Jandiroba stands over her now. Dern back up. Nice right hand from Jandiroba to end the round.

Round Four

Punches exchanged. Right hand for Jandiroba. Now a one-two for her. Dern with a flurry. Body kick for Dern and then a calf kick, but eats a punch in return.

Jandiroba fakes a takedown then lands a punch instead. Dern punches to the body and then upstairs as Jandiroba also lands.

Dern land a couple of punches to the head. Now an inside leg kick and a push kick. Calf kick from Jandiroba. Straight punches from Dern to back Jandiroba up to the cage, then trying for a takedown. Jandiroba prevents that though.

Dern tight in the clinch and lands a knee to the body. Now Dern backs up to striking range again.

Inside leg kick for Jandiroba. Now a left hook for her. Right hand from Dern with intent behind it. Body kick from Dern.

Single-leg attempt from Jandiroba, but Dern breaks free. Two left hooks for Jandiroba. Right hand from Dern. Takedown from Jandiroba, but doesn’t follow Dern down and instead stands over her until the ref gets Dern to stand.

Jandiroba with a crisp couple of punches. Now suddenly a good takedown from Dern in the center of the Octagon in the final minute of the round.

Dern in half-guard. Jandiroba staying tight to her to prevent too much offense. Final 10 seconds of the round and Dern is desperate to land strikes but can only get a hammerfist off as Jandiroba continue to restrict her.

Round Five

Final five minutes with everything to fight for in this close match-up.

They begin by firing off punches. Low kick for Dern. Now one from Jandiroba. Jandiroba land the right hand and Dern gets that back as she lands too.

Dern lands nicely again. She tries for a spinning elbow, but misses and that enables Jandiroba to take her down in the center of the Octagon. She’s struggling to control the position though and Dern gets back up.

Jandiroba driving in for another takedown, but they end up jockeying for position against the cage.

Elbow strike from jandiroba as she presses Dern into the cage. Another elbow. Now a knee to the body and Dern circles away.

Left hand lands for Dern. jabs exchanged. One-two for Dern. takedown from Jandiroba. Dern tries to get a triangle choke going, but nothing doing. Elbow strikes from Dern on her back as Jandiroba settles in her guard.

Dern continuing to lands some elbows to the head. Now hammerfists and rather than fire back Jandiroba opts to stand over her. Dern kicking at her leg and then stands.

Jandiroba with a few strikes that don’t connect. Body punch from Dern. Grazing hook from Jandiroba and then a right hand gets through clean. She then misses on a spinning backfist.

leg kick for Dern. Right hand from Dern. Now a swatting hammerfist. Grazing left hand from Jandiroba. Missed spinning backfist from Jandiroba enables Dern to land a takedown in the final seconds of the round.

Decision

A close fight then with both fighters wearing damage from striking exchanges, while Jandiroba had more takedowns and control time. She didn’t do too much with those positions however, while Dern was consistently active with strikes from her back.

The judges verdict is in and it’s Mackenzie Dern who emerges with the unanimous decision victory! (48-47 x2, 49-46) to become the new strawweight champion!

Jandiroba should really have taken notes from the Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida fight just two fights ago in which Almeida had lots of control time on top, but ultimately lost to Volkov due to a lack of offense.

Jandiroba was more active than Almeida had been overall in that earlier fight, particularly on the feet, but Dern was constantly chipping away with strikes off her back, and together with some solid striking and the occasional takedown of her own that’s enough to win her the belt.