UFC Fight Night: Mackenzie Dern’s submissions to snap Angela Hill’s winning streak
- Liam Hampton
- 20 May 2023
The darling of the UFC’s strawweight division and submission expert Mackenzie Dern returns to the octagon as she faces Angela Hill. Check out our preview, key stats and suggested bet for the fight.
A submission specialist who makes no secret of her gameplan to break her opponents on the ground, Mackenzie Dern is looking to rebound after losing her last fight to Yan Xiaonan in another headlining spot last year.
Before looking ahead to the main event, we take a dive through Saturday's fight card.
Maheshate Hayisaer vs Viacheslav Borshchev
Two graduates of Dana White's Contender Series with a point to prove square off in this lightweight contest, as Chinese prospect Maheshate meets Russian slugger Viacheslav "Slava Claus" Borshchev.
Maheshate made a great first impression in his UFC debut, stopping Steve Garcia with a counter right hand in the first round, but his sophomore appearance was spoiled by a 3lb weight miss and a loss to Mexican warrior Rafa Garcia. The Chinese lightweight needs to remind the crowd why he accumulated so much hype prior to his debut.
Borschchev's story is very similar, a short notice knockout of Chris Duncan booked his spot on the UFC roster and a first-round liver shot KO of Dakota Bush had everyone taking notice.
But subsequent losses to Marc Diakiese and Mike Davis have put "Slava Claus" on a two-fight losing streak and at serious risk of being released from the promotion should this bout not go his way.
This match is a stylistic dream for both men, they love to keep their bouts on the feat and utilize their striking to get the job done, shown by their combined nine knockout wins in their professional careers.
For Maheshate, he must utilize all the advantages he has in order to be successful, his 2.5" reach advantage might seem inconsequential, but if used properly he can strike from the outside successfully and snipe his way to victory.
For Borshchev he must attack the body, he has proven he has the power to knockout his opponents so he must take focus away from his head strikes in order to give himself openings to land the killer blow.
Key stats
Maheshate has never been finished in his career.
Borshchev only has one win by decision in his career, but all three of his losses have come by decision.
Suggested bet
Michael Johnson vs Diego Ferreira
Unfortunately, there is only one truly undefeated fighter across all combat sports and that is father time, but for Michael Johnson and Diego Ferreira, they hope a win here can put off that matchup for the time being at least.
Michael Johnson might not have the best record in the UFC, coming in to this contest at 21-18, but he truly has had one of the finest careers a fighter could ask for, fighting at the top of a stacked division and defeating top contenders since his UFC debut in 2010.
Tony Ferguson, Edson Barboza and Dustin Poirier have all been defeated by Johnson, whereas his CV also includes fights with Justin Gaethje, Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Everything looked to be going just as planned for Diego Ferreira, after a 2-2 start to life in the octagon he rattled off six wins in a row in the talent rich lightweight division and looked to be headed for big things.
Sadly, it was not meant to be, and a three-fight losing streak against members of the top 15 past and present have led to him being in dire need of a win against Johnson, not only to reinvigorate a title charge but maybe to secure his place on the roster.
Where Ferreira does his best work on the ground, Johnson prefers to keep things standing and utilizes excellent sprawls to make sure his opponents can't take him down.
Johnson proved against Alan Patrick that he still carries his old power, but if Ferreira can get him down it could be a long night for "The Menace" and a night he might not get to experience for much longer.
Key stats
50% of Johnson's losses have come by submission.
Ferreira's last win was a submission of Anthony Pettis back in 2020.
Suggested bet
Andre Fialho vs Joaquin Buckley
If pleasing the crowd was the goal, it's fair to say that Andre Fialho and Joaquin Buckley would be set for life.
Buckley will live on in UFC history for years to come, as his spinning back kick of Impa Kasanganay shocked the world and instantly became the greatest knockout in UFC history.
Impressive finishes have followed but a step up in competition at middleweight has led him to a two-fight losing streak and a drop down to welterweight to rebuild his UFC career.
He will be greeted in the cage by Andre Fialho. The Portuguese warrior was an unknown commodity at the start of 2022, but by the end of the year he had five fights under his belt and had made a name for himself.
Tough as they come and fearing no man opposite him, a debut loss to Michel Pereira was followed by back-to-back wins by knockout, then back-to-back losses by knockout.
Fialho is clearly talented, but his love for a brawl and refusal to turn down an opponent has been his downfall, taking on dangerous matchups and risking his place on a talented welterweight roster.
A matchup with Buckley is another hard day at the office, despite Buckleys desire to fight on the feet, he has excellent wrestling if he choses to use it and facing his own two-fight losing streak that just might be what he does.
Key stats
80% of Fialho's wins have come by knockout.
Buckley will go into the fight with a 2" reach advantage.
Suggested bet
Edmen Shahbazyan vs Anthony Hernandez
There are two basic rules to follow in MMA, never underestimate your opponent and be ready for anything. No one embodies that more than Anthony Hernandez.
"Fluffy" was 1-2 in the UFC when he stepped into the cage to face Brazilian grappling ace Rodolfo Vieira, many saw him as a lamb to the slaughter as he faced off against his undefeated opponent.
A brutal first round pace originally saw Vieira dominate the grappling exchanges, but Hernandez showed the heart of a lion to defend and brutalize his opponent with strikes and equally aggressive submissions.
The second saw Hernandez attack Vieira with strikes again and with the Brazilian exhausted, Hernandez submitted the acclaimed BJJ black belt via an arm in guillotine choke.
After another two wins to take his winning streak to three, he finds himself in a co-main spot against hungry prospect Edmen Shahbazyan.
"The Golden Boy" was once one of the UFC's most highly touted prospects, a perfect 11-0 record and highlight reel finishes saw the young man destined for great things.
But the step up in competition proved too soon and he succumbed to three straight losses to members of the top 15 to halt his career progress.
After rebounding against Dalcha Lungiambula last time out, Shahbazyan looks to show off his improvements in this marquee slot opposite Hernandez.
The key for Shahbazyan is to use his striking, he has devastating power and his finishes of Lungiambula and Brad Tavares show that.
For Hernandez, the grappling abilities that served him so well against Vieira must be shown again, he must tire out his young foe and apply that all encompassing pressure that caused one of the greatest modern BJJ practitioners to submit to him in their bout.
Key stats
Shahbazyan has never been submitted in his career.
82% of Hernandez's fights have been finishes.
Suggested bet
Mackenzie Dern vs Angela Hill
The main event sees two women who need to break out of old habits face off as Mackenzie Dern takes on Angela Hill.
Dern is one of the most acclaimed female grapplers in the UFC, medaling across the world in competitions such as ADCC, Pan Ams and the World Jiu Jitsu Championship.
She is clearly a talented grappler and most of her fights have showcased her skills, with four of her seven wins in the UFC coming by submission.
But this is MMA not BJJ, and Dern has been accused of being one dimensional more than once, hence when she has faced top competition such as Yan Xiaonan or Amanda Ribas, she has lost via judges' decision.
Hill is another fighter with an unfortunate reputation, despite being as tough as they come, she has been pigeonholed as a gatekeeper in the strawweight division.
The perfect test for opponents looking to make the step up, Hill currently has a 15-12 record in MMA, and her gatekeeper reputation is understandable.
But change could be incoming for "Overkill" in this contest, she is currently on a two-fight win streak and her five previous knockout wins look good when facing off against a grappler such as Dern.
Hill is battle tested like no other fighter, regularly competing inside and outside of the cage in grappling matches, so if Dern thinks she is in for an easy night against Hill because of her record, she would be sorely mistaken.
Key stats
Dern has never lost two fights in a row; her last fight was her loss to Yan Xiaonan.
Hill hasn't been finished since a loss to Randa Markos in 2019, four years and 13 fights ago for Hill.
