A loss is a tough thing any athlete can be subject to. However, it is equally true that not all losses are made equal, especially in combat sports. Paulo Costa’s all-out war against Robert Whittaker at UFC 298  in a losing effort or Tony Ferguson or Nate Diaz’s numerous gutsy losses have only seen their stock increase. In the world of MMA, a loss can, at times, be better than an uneventful win. This is why Mackenzie Dern despite losing her UFC 298 strawweight bout to Amanda Lemos, has a lot to be proud of.

Although the American lost a unanimous decision to the Brazilian, her valiant effort in the Fight of the Night bout impressed many. Among them were Islam Makhachev and former champ Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s coach Javier Mendez, who discussed her latest performance on his podcast on YouTube, giving props to Dern for her spirited performance and giving her a suggestion on how to reach the next level.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager impressed with Mackenzie Dern

Mendez admitted that he had been looking forward to seeing Dern vs. Lemos since he rated her highly and praised Dern’s skills and heart. However, he said that there was one major aspect she could improve on that kept the Phoenix native from reaching her full potential. “I really wanted to see the Mackenzie Dern fight. I really wanted to see that fight because I really like her. I think she’s an incredible fighter, and uh uh just I think it’s uh it’s one of those things where she just needs to learn how to fight to her best abilities,” he said.

Mendez felt that while Dern’s strongest suit was her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in which she holds a black belt, and Dern was better than her rivals. Despite that, she wasn’t able to get her opponents to the ground consistently. “She’s not utilizing what I call the Queen, right? And her Queen is her Jiu-Jitsu and it’s better than anybody but she doesn’t work as much on getting the people to where she can utilize her Queen, you know,” he explained.

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The AKA head coach although lauded her UFC 298 performance, also advised Dern to work on her takedowns. He felt she had the spirit and courage of a warrior and this improvement will help her use her BJJ to dominate.

“That’s just something that I would like to see from her in the future, where she can get people to the ground where she needs to exercise her great skill. And oh, man her fight was so entertaining, oh my God. She’s a warrior, man, very very impressive,” he added.

And Dern was well-deserving of the praise given her UFC 298 performance. Here’s a quick look at it

Dern and Lemos go to war for three rounds

After being dropped by a hard right from Amanda Lemos in the first round, Mackenzie Dern came back strong. While she was kept at bay by the Brazilian in the first round, Dern managed to land a takedown in the second round, which she finished strong, looking for a submission on top of Lemos.

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Both fighters ratcheted up the intensity in the final round as Dern scored another takedown. However, Lemos managed to get on top and land some hard elbows and punches as the 30-year-old looked for a triangle choke until the Brazilian managed to escape and was awarded a unanimous decision victory.

What are your thoughts on the Dern-Lemos UFC 298 bout? Do you agree with what Mendez had to say?

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