LFA 24: Mackenzie Dern likened to Ronda Rousey in polarising performance

MMA gun Mackenzie Dern has drawn unfavourable comparisons to shattered UFC queen Ronda Rousey after despite destroying her opponent in a brutal choke.

Mackenzie Dern didn't give Mandy Polk a second to think.

DON’T let looks deceive you, Mackenzie Dern is an absolute wrecking ball.

The MMA young gun sent viewers into a spin as she dismantled opponent Mandy Polk in her flyweight debut at LFA 24.

Dern, weighing in at 56kg, caught Polk by surprise with a barrage of punches in the first round, sending the 32-year-old to the deck in a daze.

The 24-year-old is known as a submission artist but surprised experts with her savage combinations to skittle her opponent before going in for the kill with a savage rear-naked choke. The fight ended at at 2:55 in the first round and continued Dern’s undefeated 4-0-0 MMA record.

At just 1.6m tall, Dern’s reach suffers greatly against her taller opponents in her newly adopted division. But it’s better than the alternative.

“Everyone keeps asking about 125 (pounds), but I don’t know,” Dern said on The MMA Hour before the fight. “I feel like the 125 girls are way bigger than me.”

Dern said the weight cut needed to make 115 pounds was becoming too tough to handle.

“115 is so hard for me to make,” she said. “(Flyweight is) definitely not 100-percent the weight class I will want to stay at. I feel like if I can figure out how to continue at 115, that would be better size-wise, but who knows?”

Despite her dominant first-round win and undefeated record, Dern’s technique and defence was taken to task with MMA journalist Jonathan Snowden comparing the choke-master to dethroned UFC queen Ronda Rousey.

Mackenzie Dern didn't give Mandy Polk a second to think.

The result for Dern was good there...but the process was terrible. She is going to get beaten keeping her chin up like that.

— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) October 14, 2017

Very reminiscent of Rousey. Hopefully someone shows Dern the flaws in her performance and we don't see deja vu. https://t.co/z5FgJ4t7xF

— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) October 14, 2017

Renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani hit back at Dern’s critics, claiming she’d made a distinct improvement in her striking ability over her four-fight career in the Octagon.

“Striking experts on Twitter criticising Dern, seems like many didn’t watch her first couple fights,” he posted on Twitter. “There’s an improvement. 4 fights total. And if I’m her I’d stay at 125 (that) division is much more shallow than 115.”

BOOM! Mackenzie Dern does it again! Punched her way into a RNC. Congrats, @MackenzieDern! #LFA24 #oss pic.twitter.com/axFFuhUKoF

— Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) October 14, 2017

It’s not the first time the jiu-jitsu specialist has been compared to Rousey, either.

Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson declared Dern would be greater than Rousey at the peak of her career.

“She will be bigger than Ronda Rousey before Ronda Rousey lost. She’s going to be huge”, Henerson said in October last year as the youngster began to make a mark on the world stage.

Mackenzie Dern has been touted as a future UFC superstar, but she might have to address her critics first.