Pros react after Xiaonan Yan defeats Mackenzie Dern at UFC Vegas 61

By Chris Taylor - October 1, 2022

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 61 event was headlined by a key women’s strawweight matchup featuring Mackenzie Dern taking on Xiaonan Yan.

Mackenzie Dern, Xiaonan Yan, UFC Vegas 61

Dern (12-3 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since defeating Tecia Torres at UFC 273. The jiu-jitsu ace had gone 5-1 over her past six Octagon appearances overall, with three of those five wins coming by way of submission.

Meanwhile, Xiaonan Yan (16-3 MMA) had entered tonight’s UFC Vegas 61 main event with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid. ‘Fury’ had suffered losses to Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez in her two most recent efforts, but prior to that was on a twelve-fight unbeaten streak.

Tonight’s ‘Dern vs. Yan’ headliner resulted in a solid back and forth affair. Mackenzie Dern was able to dominate rounds two and five on the canvas, but round 1, 3 and 4 were clearly in favor of the Chinese standout. After twenty-five minutes of action it was pretty clear that the bout would either go to Yan or be ruled a draw. Unfortunately for Dern, only one judge awarded her with a 10-8 round and thus she lost a majority decision.

Official UFC Vegas 61 Result: Xiaonan Yan def. Mackenzie Dern by majority decision (48-47 x2, 47-47)

Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Dern vs. Yan’ below:

https://twitter.com/ALIAQUINTA/status/1576380314552631296

https://twitter.com/Ariane_lipski/status/1576383091211632644

Post-fight reactions to Xiaonan Yan defeating Mackenzie Dern at UFC Vegas 61:

https://twitter.com/wmmarz/status/1576388072828456960

https://twitter.com/JalinTurner/status/1576387195266400256

https://twitter.com/BillyQMMA/status/1576388598097936384

Who would you like to see Xiaonan Yan fight next following her majority decision victory over Mackenzie Dern this evening in Las Vegas? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!


Topics:

Mackenzie Dern UFC UFC Vegas 61