Mackenzie Dern Defends UFC Title at 33, Citing Poker for 3-Fight Surge
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Aug 16
Mackenzie Dern Defends UFC Title at 33, Citing Poker for 3-Fight Surge
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Aug 16
Summary
Saturday's UFC 330 co-main event in Philadelphia will bring Mackenzie Dern's first strawweight title defense against Canada's Gillian Robertson.
Dern says no-limit Texas hold'em, which she took up in 2024 outside training camps, taught her emotional control and patience after years of fighting in "red mode."
That shift coincided with a 3-fight winning streak, capped by her October win over Virna Jandiroba that finally delivered the UFC belt after she lost 4 of 6 bouts in a mid-career slide.
Dern, now 16-5 as a pro, says poker improved her ability to read opponents and weigh risk-reward, though the report notes gambling dangers, including a 2018 Australian study that found 39% of regular poker players surveyed had moderate to severe problems.