Mackenzie Dern-Virna Jandiroba Strawweight Tilt Headed to UFC 256

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A major strawweight battle between two elite grapplers is on the books for to the year-end Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view event.

On Friday, MMA Fighting first reported that Mackenzie Dern (9-1) has agreed to take on Virna Jandiroba (16-1) at strawweight at UFC 256. Other outlets have since confirmed the booking arrangement, while noting that the two have not yet signed their contracts. Should this bout come to fruition on Dec. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, it will be between two jiu-jitsu masters that have earned a combined 19 submission victories across their 25 career wins.

Dern recently competed at UFC Fight Night 178 in September, where she tapped Randa Markos with a first-round armbar. In that bout, Dern became the first fighter to put Markos on a losing streak, as the Canadian had never before lost consecutive bouts. Since joining the promotion, the Arizona native that trains out of Brazil has earned three submission wins. Dern holds the most first-round submissions of any female UFC fighter, and is one shy of the all-time submission record for women inside the Octagon.

Jandiroba rebounded from her first career defeat in April 2019 by submitting Mallory Martin in December and Felice Herrig in August. In the latter, she handed Herrig her first stoppage loss across the vet’s 23-fight career. The former Invicta Fighting Championships strawweight queen has rattled off 13 submission wins among her 16 triumphs, good for a stoppage rate of 81 percent. Neither she nor Dern have ever won a fight due to strikes, nor have they ever lost a bout by submission.

UFC 256 goes down on Dec. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and the event recently lost its headliner of Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns for the welterweight strap. The promotion has yet to indicate whether the featherweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson will serve as the new main event, or if a new fight will be made atop the card. The previously announced match of Amanda Ribas vs. Carla Esparza has also changed, as Esparza will not be competing at the event after all.