The transition to mixed martial arts has been smooth for Mackenzie Dern, but taking punishment is something she’s still adjusting to.
Dern has a record of 4-0. She set up her last submission win by standing in the pocket and unloading on some heavy strikes to bring Mandy Polk down to the canvas. It was Dern’s second win since the Legacy Fighting Championship and Resurrection Fighting Alliance merger.
During a recent appearance on MMA Junkie Radio, Dern admitted that it still isn’t easy to eat some shots:
“All my teammates, they know me, they know my game – they know I’m a ground girl. Even on my training and everything, I’m usually on the short end of the stick, getting punched in the face. I’m not going to lie, to be able to set up my submission by punches felt really good.”
She then talked about the rush that she gets when she’s able to connect with punches instead of missing.
“I even kind of felt like a payback. Like, ‘Man, I look so aggressive, and so mean.’ And I’m not a mean person. But it felt good to throw punches and the punches to connect – not just throw and miss.”
