UFC 321 will probably go down as one of the worst pay-per-views of 2025, not because the fights were bad, but because of how the main event ended. Ciryl Gane looked like he was winning the first round when an accidental double-eye poke rendered the heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, unable to continue fighting. The moment left a horrible taste in everyone’s mouths, and perhaps cast a shadow on an evening of otherwise great fights. People definitely remember this moment over the five-round, grueling back-and-forth that was the co-main event between Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba.

Dern fought her heart out, and despite being taken down multiple times, often finding herself in the bottom position, kept herself an active threat through strikes and submission attempts. The fight was action-packed, despite going five rounds to a decision. Mackenzie won the belt, sure, but it came with a painful price. The freshly crowned strawweight champion walked away with the belt, but not without visual reminders of the bout. Fans watched her smiling despite the blood and bruises. As Dana White put it best, “Those two literally beat the s— out of each other.” Despite the victory celebrations, Mackenzie Dern’s body told a different story.

Mackenzie Dern reveals brutal aftermath of UFC 321

The damage was severe enough that even the ever-present jiu-jitsu ace couldn’t hide it in the days that followed. Dern opened up to Ariel Helwani about the physical toll the fight had taken. “Yeah. “No, it’s totally swollen, you know,” she said, pointing to her right hand. “It’s not the worst I’ve been, but my hand is super swollen… My elbow’s like killing me from all the elbows.”

Despite the pain, she shrugged it off, showing the same resilience that carried her through the five-round war. Despite having visible cuts and swelling, the American fighter fulfilled her media obligations immediately following the bout. “It was just like a lot of pressure, you know, and then of course I’m doing interviews and I have blood dripping down my face, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh,'” said the new champion.

“But it’s all part of it… I could have my jaw broken or my nose broken, but everything’s good. Everything just kind of like superficial, you know.” Now that’s classic Mackenzie Dern: hurt but humble, grounded yet stubbornly tough. Now, even as she recovers, the champion’s eyes are already on her next challenge.

After all, the 32-year-old intends to enjoy an active reign. Mackenzie Dern‘s career in the sport has been limited due to her pregnancy with her daughter, Moa, and she wants to spend no more time waiting for fights. The accomplished grappler believes that more training and better planning will transform her into a “beast” on her comeback tour.

“If I can get to the organization and everything I did for this camp and just continue that for 2 months, 6 months, a whole year, 3 years… Imagine the type of beast I could become,” Dern explained. Well, that surely is something the fans would want to see. But who will she fight next? It seems like the champion has not one but two options available for a fight.

Mackenzie Dern eyes two opponents for her title defense

Fresh off her title win at UFC 321, Mackenzie Dern is wasting no time planning what’s next. Her focus quickly shifted from celebration to competition, and the new strawweight champion already has a few contenders around her throne. Dern, still riding high after her decisive victory, made it clear that she does not want to be a passive champion. As she put it, she’s not here to wait around: she’s here to fight.

In  her conversation with Ariel Helwani, Dern said that her future step could be determined by how the division shapes up in the coming months. With UFC 322 just around the horizon, she acknowledged one name sticks out above the rest: former champion Zhang Weili. “I’m not gonna be like a baby champion,” Dern said.

“I wanna be like whatever they [the UFC] want us to do… we’ll be ready, and we’ll train for that. I wanna beat the best. I am the best right now, but I wanna be able to beat whoever is coming.” To her, Weili represents just that: an opportunity to pit oneself against a legend who has been at the top for years. But Weili isn’t the only person on Mackenzie Dern’s radar.

She also named Tatiana Suarez, whose wrestling technique may prove to be a real threat to the American fighter. “I think (Zhang) Weili… that makes sense. And then, Tatiana (Suarez) is coming off a win,” Dern added. Both rivals present unique obstacles, but Dern is prepared for either. Whether it’s Weili’s strikes or Suarez’s grappling, the champion’s message is clear: she isn’t waiting for the division to come to her.