This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Vegas 73, we saw a big time matchup in the strawweight division. Angela Hill (15-13) was looking for her third straight win as she took on Mackenzie Dern (13-3).
As of late, these two contenders had flipped in terms of their momentum. After a back-and-forth couple of years, Angela Hill had won two fights in a row leading into Saturday. Meanwhile, Mackenzie Dern was just 1-2 in her last three after soaring to the top of the strawweight division.
This fight was originally supposed to be three rounds and I thought that favored Hill. Hill’s volume striking attack is great in the early rounds, but I felt that Dern’s grappling would really benefit over the course of five rounds. Turns out, Dern was good wherever the fight went.
Hill had some early success, but once Dern starting taking things over, there was no going back. Dern was able to win the battle really wherever the fight went and it ended up being an incredibly one-sided main event at UFC Vegas 73. A tough loss for Hill who was looking for her third straight win.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 73?
This is a tough setback for Hill, but she remains still one of the more solid contenders in the strawweight division. When thinking about what could be next for her, there’s one fight that makes a ton of sense. It’s also a fight where her and her opponent would both benefit from the style of the matchup.
I think the UFC should look to book Hill against Marina Rodriguez. Rodriguez was close to a title shot just a couple of fights ago, but has gone on to lose back-to-back fights which has really set her back. She could use a reset and Hill deserves another fight against a premier name.
If I’m the UFC matchmakers, this one seems like a slam dunk.