Mackenzie Dern wants back into the Octagon at UFC 224 in Rio

Mackenzie Dern’s arrival in the big leagues got off to a bit of a rough start at UFC 222 with a split decision win over Ashley Yoder. There was a lot to like about her performance: her willingness to swang and bang along with her clearly lethal ground game come to mind. But she’s still got a lot of holes and rough edges that will need work if she’s to climb the rankings and become a force in the organization.

But Dern certainly didn’t take that razor thin decision win to mean she has to spend a lot more time in the gym improving before her next fight. Instead, she’s opting to throw her name right back in there, making it known that she wants in on the big May 12th UFC 224 card in Rio.

“I don’t want the fast track to the top of the division, I want to take time,” Dern said at the post-fight press conference. “But I want to fight soon again. I’m all about fighting, I’m sure the next person I fight will give me different challenges and that’s what I need to show who I am and what kind of fighter I want to become.”

”I’m ready to fight, I want to fight again in May, Brazil. I want to fight anywhere.”

UFC 224 already features a women’s bantamweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington (if Dana White doesn’t switch Pennington out for Cyborg), plus Vitor Belfort’s retirement fight against Lyoto Machida and another killer middleweight contender match between “Jacare” Souza and Kelvin Gastelum. We’re sure the UFC wouldn’t mind adding Mackenzie Dern to the card to give her the cage time she so clearly craves.