UFC’s Mackenzie Dern is ‘so unaware of the sport’

Chael Sonnen thinks Mackenzie Dern missed the mark by not calling for a title shot after UFC Combat Evening 249.

Dern (16-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) picked up her second-straight win when she submitted Amanda Ribas (12-7 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in Spherical 3 of Saturday’s most important occasion rematch on the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Contemplating her jiu-jitsu accolades, Sonnen thinks Dern has didn’t market herself correctly.

“I couldn’t return over Mackenzie’s profession and hand her one praise on something she’s completed from an leisure facet,” Sonnen stated on “Good Man/Dangerous Man” with Daniel Cormier. “I couldn’t inform you one time she had a microphone in her hand and turned it right into a pipe bomb. I couldn’t inform you one alternative that she pushed everyone else apart and got here and received it for herself.

“I may inform you earlier than she made her UFC debut, a man named Chael Sonnen referred to as her to do a pure grappling match, straight up jiu-jitsu towards anyone referred to as Miesha Tate, who was one of many largest names in the entire sport, and there was no sum of money to get Mackenzie on the airplane to do the match. Her reasoning? She desires to concentrate on MMA. So, I’m trying to elucidate to her that if you wish to break into MMA, that is Miesha Tate, come get your cash, and she or he by no means did it.”

After avenging her 2019 loss to Ribas, which was the primary of her profession, Dern stated she’s in no rush for a title shot. Though Dern has now headlined 4 UFC Combat Evening occasions, Sonnen doesn’t suppose she’s capitalized sufficient from her reputation.

“She decides she must get higher at jiu-jitsu, she leaves her father, Wellington ‘Megaton,’ one of many largest stars there’s, goes out with Jason Parillo in California and begins hitting mitts which received her nowhere than lacking punches and blocking pictures along with her face,” Sonnen added. “I’ve by no means seen Mackenzie get it proper. Everybody likes her, myself included, everybody appears to be rooting for her for causes I actually can’t clarify to you, myself included.

“She seems to be like she does actually care about this sport. She talks about a few of her hardships and issues exterior the ring which do compel you very a lot to her, however so far as understanding what makes {dollars} has received to make sense, she doesn’t know what any of these phrases imply. I’ve by no means seen a second-generation athlete so unaware of the game that’s happening round them.”

For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC Combat Evening 249.