Mackenzie Dern is the UFC strawweight champion, but she says she hasn't come close to achieving all her goals.
The MMA star wants to be the greatest ever in her division.
The strawweight champ recently stopped by the TMZ Sports office to chat with Babcock ahead of her UFC 330 fight against Gillian Robertson.
Dern made it clear she's aiming much higher than just a successful title defense.
“Besides winning the belt, I think Hall of Fame [is a goal]. I would like to try and get there in some way, you know?”
Mackenzie said.
“Just be impactful enough that I can make it to the Hall of Fame, feel like I made my mark in MMA.
And just have the records like most submissions, most wins, things like that.”
When asked about being the greatest ever at 115 pounds, she responded, “Yeah, that would be amazing. Yes, yes.”
Life Changed Completely
Dern also shared how life has changed since she beat Virna Jandiroba for the belt.
“[Life has] changed completely.
I mean, the confidence you have just living life, going into training, everything is like I feel like it's next level.
Obviously, opportunities have come up and you got to say no to some of them 'cause then it's hard to train,” she explained.
“I definitely had to say no to a lot of stuff. Movie opportunities, a lot of trips.
You're trying to do the most you can that doesn't physically hurt you.”
Those opportunities can disappear fast if an athlete doesn't keep winning, which is why Dern is laser-focused on Robertson, who has the most submission wins of any UFC fighter in history.
Watch Dern defend her title on August 15 on Paramount+.
