Dern (4-0), a jiu-jitsu champion who is considered one of the top prospects in women’s MMA, stayed unbeaten Friday night at LFA 24, flooring flyweight veteran Mandy Polk (3-4) with punches before tapping Polk out with a nasty first-round rear-naked choke.
The performance marked Dern’s debut in the flyweight division, and needless to say, it was a successful one. Despite being known for her mat wizardry, Dern came out swinging, throwing hard hooks at Polk before diving low on a single-leg attempt. Polk defended several takedowns and trips, but ultimately she found her way to the floor anyway, eating a salvo of looping shots before being downed by the right hand that signaled the beginning of the end.