Mackenzie Dern’s sophomore Octagon appearance will come at UFC 224 in Rio de Janeiro, as she requested.
Multiple outlets confirmed the strawweight pairing on Wednesday following an initial report from MMA Brasil. UFC 224 takes place on May 12 at Jeunesse Arena and features a women’s bantamweight title bout between Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington.
The 24-year-old Dern earned a split verdict over Ashley Yoder in her promotional debut at UFC 222 on March 3. The MMA Lab Product improved to 6-0 with the victory. Her professional tenure has included stints with Legacy Fighting Alliance and Invicta FC.
Cooper, 26, is 2-2 in the Octagon. Most recently, she scored a second-round technical knockout win over Angela Magana at UFC 218. Cooper is 3-3 as a professional overall, and all three of her defeats have come via submission.