Conor McGregor changed the landscape of the UFC in 2016. He became the first fighter in the history of the promotion to become a simultaneous two-division champion. Moreover, that achievement has inspired many MMA fighters to do the same and one of them is UFC strawweight star, Mackenzie Dern.

‘The Notorious’ is arguably the biggest, not only in the UFC but in all of MMA as well. He has inspired many young fighters of this generation. As such, Mackenzie Dern once mentioned how much influence Conor McGregor had on her path to becoming a UFC fighter. Let’s see what she had to say about that.

Mackenzie Dern wants to replicate Conor McGregor in the UFC

Before Mackenzie Dern made her way to the UFC, she was competing in a regional promotion of Legacy Fight Alliance (LFA). At that time, she had just started her MMA career and appeared in an exclusive interview with ‘MMA Fighting‘. Dern claimed to have been influenced by Conor McGregor and stated that she wanted to replicate his achievements in Dana White’s promotion. Dern said, “I’ll try to follow [Conor] McGregor’s footsteps.”

Mackenzie Dern also mentioned that the best fighters in the world always have a plan and a bucket list of accolades that they want to achieve. “The best in the world always have goals to achieve.” The 30-year-old mentioned that she could have joined the 125 lbs division. She would love to explore her options in that division. However, Dern decided to stick to 115 lbs.

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“I think that if the UFC has a 125-pound division, I’d like to fight in that division too, see if I feel good there. But I think that my height is for 115,” said the Brazilian-American fighter. Moreover, Dern also mentioned that she does intend to be a footnote in the sport of MMA, but be at the top of the sport.

The 30-year-old wants to be remembered

Every MMA fighter wants to make their own mark in the UFC. That is what drives Mackenzie Dern. She mentioned during the interview that all careers come to an end, but what they do in the sport will always be something that people will remember. Dern said, “I want to be remembered. We stop competing one day and all this hard work can’t be forgotten.”

Mackenzie Dern mentioned that she’s aware of the hurdles that lie in the path of becoming a champion. However, she was not willing to settle for that. Dern wants to achieve the Hall of Fame status in MMA. “I’m not saying that being the champion is easy, it’s actually pretty hard, but I want to be remembered and become a Hall of Famer in MMA as well,” Dern added.

Mackenzie Dern is set to take on former champion Jessica Andrade at UFC 295. She has had a mixed record in the UFC as of late. Meanwhile, Andrade is currently on a 3-fight losing streak. It will be interesting to see who comes out top since both these fighters have great credentials and have showcased amazing performances in the past.

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