Dana White’s post leaves Mackenzie Dern in the dark about UFC 321 title fight

Mackenzie Dern is facing Virna Jandiroba for the vacant UFC women’s strawweight title on October 25, 2025, in Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena. The fight is the co-main event of UFC 321 and comes after Zhang Weili moved up to flyweight, leaving the belt open.

Dern found out it was for the real title and not just an interim belt by watching Dana White announce it live on Instagram. She didn’t learn it from the UFC directly, and that surprise made the moment even more real for her.

Mackenzie Dern surprised by UFC 321 strawweight title announcement

Mackenzie Dern thought she might be fighting for an interim title. She was told about that possibility just three or four weeks before the fight. But then everything changed when Dana White went live on Instagram and said it would be for the actual strawweight title.

“I texted my manager Tiki, I’m like, wait, is it the real belt or the interim belt? He’s like, ‘Oh, it’s the real belt,’” Dern said. That made her feel extra happy and very grateful.This slip-up by UFC revealed how miscommunication can lead to big surprises even for top athletes. Dern described it as a real moment of excitement and said she’s ready for the chance.

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Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern’s road to the title fight

Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba previously fought in December 2020 at UFC 256, where Dern won by unanimous decision.

Since then, Jandiroba has gone on a five-fight winning streak, while Dern has rebounded with wins over Loopy Godinez and Amanda Ribas.With Zhang Weili vacating the title to challenge Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 322 in November, this match is now for the vacant 115-pound title, the strawweight championship.The fight takes place at UFC 321, headlined by the heavyweight battle between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. UFC continues to use Abu Dhabi as a global stage, and this card is no exception.Dern is currently ranked No. 5 in the strawweight division, and Jandiroba holds the No. 1 spot.