While UFC 321 will always be remembered for the unlucky ones Tom Aspinall double eye pokethe night in Abu Dhabi also marked a historic milestone for Mackenzie Dern. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu star finally captured UFC golddefeating Virna Jandiroba in the co-main event to claim the vacant strawweight title. This championship fight came about after long-reigning champion Zhang Weili gave up her title to move up the ranks and challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight crown ahead of UFC 322 in New York next month.
Despite Dern’s breakthrough moment, which heralded a new era for the 115lbs division, former UFC lightweight and analyst Din Thomas had dismissed the co-main event as irrelevant ahead of the event. His comments did not sit well with fans, with Dern now publicly responding to his criticism in a recent appearance.
Mackenzie Dern vows to become a fighting champion and declares that no UFC title fight is ever irrelevant
During fight week, Thomas caused controversy by questioning whether Dern vs. Jandiroba was the most insignificant UFC title fight in recent history. He argued that the fight lacked fan interest, a statement that did not sit well with the new strawweight champion.
Thomas’ comments came in the wake of Weili’s move up to flyweight. The Chinese ace’s dominance had made her a major draw in the division, and her departure left a noticeable void. Additionally, Dern entered the fight with a 2-2 record in her last four appearances and ranked fifth at 115 lbs, which Thomas felt weakened the appeal of the matchup.
Dern had plenty to say, though. Appears on The Ariel Helwani Showshe immediately responded to his comments. She said: “Jon Jones gave up his title and Tom Aspinall became champion. What should we do in the division? People can’t retire?”
Dern further explained that fighters who move or retire divisions do not make the titles they leave behind meaningless. She stated: “People just want to leave and move up a weight class and change things. So if a belt opens up, who else would fight for the belt? So I don’t understand what would be so unimportant about fighting a champion.”
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Mackenzie Dern says Din Thomas’ comments about her fight being “insignificant” bothered her:
“Jon Jones gave up his title and Tom Aspinall became champion. What do we in the division have to do with it?”
Weili could have just retired and what are they going to do? pic.twitter.com/f9ezxHzhPE
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 27, 2025
Then she added: “Weili, if she wanted to, she achieved everything – she didn’t even have to gain weight. If she just wanted to retire, she could just retire, and then what are they going to do?”
Dern concluded: “They’re going to keep the division open. They have to have a champion, so I don’t understand. How can a championship fight be unimportant?”
Dern made a valid point. The UFC lightweight division once went through a long stretch without a champion in the mid-2000s after BJ Penn and Caol Uno fought to a draw, and Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca later tested positive for banned substances. Still, the division recovered and is now considered one of the most competitive in the sport.
Plus, there was a lot of history and intrigue behind Dern vs. Jandiroba 2. The two had done that too previously fought at UFC 256where Dern won by unanimous decision. Additionally, Jandiroba had a five-fight win streak, beating the likes of Yan Xiaonan and Amanda Lemos. Their rematch not only had a built-in storyline, but arguably surpassed their first meeting in entertainment value.
As Dern noted, “It’s just crazy to me to hear. Unless he’s talking about stylistics. But it’s like Virna was on a five-fight winning streak, subduing and taking down these girls. She’s like a strawweight mini-Khabib [Nurmagomedov]-type of girl.”
She added: “I don’t know who else he wanted to fight, so I don’t understand. As a commentator, I think he even helps with training, coaching and stuff. I thought it was a bit – I didn’t understand.”
While Thomas may stand by his opinions, Mackenzie Dern’s performance proved the division is still alive and kicking. Now that she has the belt around her waist, she is ready to usher in a new era and is open to welcoming all challengers, including Weili herself.
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