Mackenzie Dern edging closer to achieving Conor McGregor inspired goal

Decorated jiu-jitsu practitioner Mackenzie Dern has seven years left to complete the goal she set for herself in MMA.

The 23-year-old has only been in the sport eight months, has just three professional bouts under her belt, but she has lofty aspirations in the sport. Dern laid out her long-term goals to MMA Fighting. Drawing inspiration from Conor McGregor, she has her eyes on a pair of UFC belts. After that, she wants to build a real legacy and retire early, before she turns 30.

"I’ll try to follow (Conor) McGregor’s footsteps. The best in the world always have goals to achieve." "If I can win two belts by 27, I’ll stop earlier. I want to win the belt and defend it, but I wanna know the right time to stop fighting. The best in the world always set new goals, but we never know when is the right time to stop. We always want more. I wanna know when it’s time to stop."

You can't fault her ambition, but the Phoenix native certainly has the requisite skill-set and potential to make a splash in MMA. Her ground game, in particular, is insane. https://twitter.com/ZPGIFs/status/787130535218909184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw In order to fulfill this dream, Dern must first actually make it to the UFC. She may very well have booked her spot in the promotion after keeping her pristine professional record intact against Katherine Roy at the LFA 6 event on Friday. The bout was set as a 120 lb catchweight contest after she missed the 115 lb strawweight limit. Dern took the unanimous nod from the judges after the fight went the distance (29-26, 30-27,30-27). Although she didn't get the submission finish she would have wanted, the fight did allow her to show off the evolution of her game, especially on the feet. You can see Dern's much improved striking and the rest of the highlights of the bout in the video embedded below. https://twitter.com/Jolassanda/status/840408467357782017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw