The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has some interesting plans for the Strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern.
According to the first report Via Laerte (h/t Pelunathon), Dern is targeting a second defense of his 115-pound belt Denise Gomes. The meeting is unsigned but is expected to take place in March 2027.
It would be an unexpected and interesting new challenge for Dern. First of all, it should be noted that there are more obvious contenders. Dern, for example, has yet to face Zhang Weiwho released his belt in challenge Valentina Shevchenko last year at Flyweight. It’s true Weili has been mostly silentso it’s unclear when (or if) he’ll return to action.
There is another clear option. Tatiana Suarez picked up his third straight win last weekend UFC Vegas 124 taking out the former title challenger Stack Jandiroba. It wasn’t the prettiest win ever, but three straight wins over Top 10 opponents is the kind of run that should secure a title shot.
Gomes, on the other hand, has won five matches in a row. His signature win came in his last appearance, via elbow KO Yan Xiaonan (see here). The rest of those wins aren’t as elite, but maybe the UFC will decide to side with a young and exciting prospect rather than an established fighter.
If Gomes does indeed get his first shot at Dern, who will walk away with the strawweight gold?
