With former women’s UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili off to chase gold in the flyweight division, Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba will have their rematch for the vacant 115-pound title in UFC 321’s co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. In the meantime, former UFC star and analyst Din Thomas didn’t exactly have kind words to say about the matchup. “I mean this with all due respect,” Thomas said on the ‘On Paper with Anthony Smith’ podcast.

“I’m trying to be as respectful, but has there ever been a more insignificant title fight in the history, not, maybe, in the history, but in the last recent memory? You get where I’m coming from, right? No one seems to even care or have batted an eye at this fight,” he added. With less than a couple of days left in the bout, fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen has taken notice of Thomas’ comments about the fight, as he tried to justify them.

Chael Sonnen can’t argue with Thomas’ take

“He knows what he’s looking at. He’s old school. He has been in the UFC and competing, coaching, training guys, and commentating,” Sonnen said in his latest YouTube video. “He’s on every single side of it. For him to come out with an observation and say it’s the most insignificant title fight in history. Can you argue with him?” Chael Sonnen argued that Thomas wasn’t disrespecting the fighters, but rather making an observation that’s hard to dispute.

Over the years, Sonnen has famously, and often intentionally, mispronounced UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev‘s name. This time, he continued the trend with both Jandiroba and Dern’s names in the video. “Now, I do hope that I’m saying Jandiroba correctly, and if I’m not, if I’m screwing up, it’s not my attempt to be condescending… But it kind of does prove the point a little bit, right?” he noted, suggesting that the issue stems from a lack of promotion.

“I’m not fully confident that I’m saying it right, but I’m trying to. And you’re not sure if I’m saying it right because you don’t know her name. You see the problem now? Whose fault is that?” he continued. Later in the video, Chael Sonnen pointed out a larger issue with the upcoming bout. “The winner of Jandiroba-Dern, one of them, is going to be in a title fight the next time they fight as well… who does the winner of Jandiroba-Dern fight, what’s next for them?”

Sonnen was confident that most people not only didn’t know who the fighters were but also couldn’t name a logical next opponent for the winner. “I’m asking you whose fault is that?… If you’re fighting for a world championship in a co-main event spot… You [should never have to be] jerking the curtain for somebody else… I feel like that’s what Coach Thomas is talking about. He’s not questioning Jandiroba or her skills… He’s not questioning Dern or her skills.”

While Chael Sonnen admitted he wasn’t sure who the winner should face next, the RVCA team member hinted that she might already have one name in mind.

Mackenzie Dern wants Zhang Weili after Virna Jandiroba

Hoping for a repeat of what happened at UFC 256 back in December 2020 with the upcoming fight against ‘Carcara,’ the 32-year-old wants to test herself against Zhang Weili after she gets the win. While some fans have called Dern’s fight a “consolation prize,” she isn’t offended. “I think definitely she could come back down,” Dern said in an interview with SHAK MMA.

Instead, Mackenzie Dern views Weili’s move to flyweight as a chance to evolve. “If she comes back down, I think at least the girls in the division will have a little bit more time to get, myself included, prepare and be ready for her in a new way.” Confident in her progress, Dern added, “If she comes back after the next fight, I think either me or Virna will be ready to fight her too.”

Despite Dern’s desire to face Zhang Weili next, the latter hasn’t necessarily claimed she would come back down to reclaim what’s hers. So, this begs the question: Who should the winner of Dern vs. Jandiroba face next? Do you agree with Sonnen and Thomas?