Dern Captures Vacant UFC Strawweight Title in Abu Dhabi

At UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena, Mackenzie Dern outpointed Virna Jandiroba to win the vacant UFC women’s strawweight title, becoming the first woman to capture a UFC championship in Abu Dhabi and the Middle East. The heavyweight main event between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane ended in a no‑contest after an accidental eye poke left Aspinall unable to continue, prompting an immediate rematch and complicating the heavyweight title picture. Other notable results included Umar Nurmagomedov defeating Mario Bautista, Alexander Volkov narrowly beating Jailton Almeida, Azamat Murzakanov scoring a first‑round KO of Aleksandar Rakic, and Hamdy Abdelwahab defeating Chris Barnett; Quillan Salkeld and Walter Walker earned performance bonuses and Ludovit Klein vs. Mateusz Rebecki was Fight of the Night. Dern said she is open to any challenger and specifically expressed interest in a first defense against Tatiana Suarez. The victory caps a roller‑coaster career for the Brazilian jiu‑jitsu ace—who has elite BJJ credentials, recent striking work under Jason Parillo, and a turbulent personal journey including motherhood and a public divorce—and Dern framed the belt as a meaningful life milestone as well as a sporting one.