Mackenzie Dern is still rounding out her mixed martial arts skill set. That could be a scary prospect for the rest of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s strawweight division.
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Dern (13-3, 8-3 UFC) came out with aggressive striking, sitting Hill down near the fence with a right hand in the opening stanza. From there, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt nearly secured an armbar before the horn sounded. Survival would be the prevalent theme for Hill, who had her most success when she slowed down the pace and pressed her opponent into the fence for much of Round 2.
That would be the last highlight for Hill. Dern wobbled Angie “Overkill” with a knee flush to the chin in Round 3 and nearly finished the contest with brutal ground-and-pound before once again threatening with an armbar before the horn. Hill (15-13, 10-13 UFC) showed great tenacity by going the distance, but the championship rounds were still largely one-way traffic in favor of Dern, who once again nearly put her adversary away with heavy ground-and-pound in the final frame.
Hill sees a modest two-fight winning streak snapped in defeat.
Hernandez Wears Down Shahbazyan
Anthony Hernandez weathered a strong start from Edmen Shahbazyan and pulled away for a third-round technical knockout victory in a middleweight bout. “Fluffly” drew the curtain on the match with ground-and-pound at the 1:01 mark of Round 3. Hernandez has been victorious in his last four UFC appearances — including three inside the distance.
Shahbazyan (12-4, 5-4 UFC) did well early with his striking, attacking with punches to the head, knees to the body and leg kicks. While Hernandez (11-2, 5-2 UFC) ate his share of solid shots, he gradually began to impose his will on the Xtreme Couture member. Hernandez cut Shahbazyan open with close quarters elbows, landed multiple takedowns and forced his foe to defend one submission after another on the canvas. With Shahbazyan fading, Hernandez shifted his focus to ground-and-pound to force referee Herb Dean’s hand in the final stanza.
Godinez Outpoints Ducote
Crisp boxing propelled Lobo Gym representative Lupita Godinez to a unanimous verdict against former Invicta FC title holder Emily Ducote in a 120-pound catchweight clash. All three judges scored the fight in favor Godinez: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. The ex-Legacy Fighting Alliance champion has won four of her last five promotional outings.
Godinez (10-3, 5-3 UFC) started strong, countering effectively with straight shots to the head of her opponent. She also denied her opponent’s attempts to take the action to the canvas, often punishing Ducote’s takedown tries with knees in close quarters. To her credit, Ducote became more competitive as the bout progressed, but she couldn’t match Godinez in terms of volume or impact.
Buckley Head Kicks Fialho
Joaquin Buckley has added another impressive knockout to his resume after a stoppage of Andre Fialho in their welterweight bout. “New Mansa” finished the Bellator veteran with a head kick and one follow-up strike at the 4:15 mark of Round 2, giving him a successful 170-pound debut. Buckley (16-6, 6-4 UFC), who went viral for his KO of Impa Kasanganay in October 2020, had lost his previous two Octagon appearances at middleweight.
Buckley’s performance was characterized by big motions, whether it was power punches, spinning kicks or explosive takedowns. Though Buckley’s volume was superior, Fialho did find success landing his right hand on more than one occasion. The tide turned for good following a brief pause in the action due to an accidental eye poke by Buckley. Moments later, Buckley countered a left hook from Fialho with a perfectly-placed high kick that landed shin on chin. He then stepped over his fallen foe and connected with one final — and largely unnecessary — nail in the coffin to clinch his victory. Fialho (16-7, 1 NC, 2-4 UFC) has lost three straight, all via KO or TKO.
Ferreira Starches Johnson
Diego Ferreira’s first UFC appearance since December 2021 was one to remember. The Fortis MMA standout snapped a three-bout skid with a brutal second-round knockout of Michael Johnson in a lightweight clash. Ferreira (18-5, 9-5 UFC) ended the bout with a massive overhand right 1:50 into the period. It was his first victory since Jan. 18, 2020.
Johnson controlled the tempo in the opening stanza, as he flashed his renowned hand speed by tagging his foe with rapid fire punches to the head and body. Many of the blows drew a reaction from Ferreira, whose attempt to take the action to the canvas was unsuccessful. That ultimately didn’t matter, as Ferreira feinted a left before connecting with the decisive blow on Johnson’s chin. “The Menace” was unconscious before he hit the canvas, but Ferreira nonetheless dove in with one follow-up strike before Herb Dean could step in to save Johnson from further damage.
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