Mackenzie Dern believes her time is now.
After seven years and 15 fights inside the Octagon, Dern will look to cash in on her first title opportunity when she meets Virna Jandiroba at UFC 321 for the vacant strawweight world championship.
Earlier this year, former two-time 115-pound champion Zhang Weili relinquished her crown in a bid to move up and challenge reigning flyweight titleholder Valentina Shevchenko.
As soon as she heard the news, Dern was confident that she’d get the call to fight for the title, though the wait was a little longer than what she’d hoped for.