Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. A potential Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight
title eliminator is on tap for a Fight Night main event in
October. ESPN
announced on Friday that Marina
Rodriguez (14-1-2) will headline the
UFC Fight Night card on Oct. 9 against Mackenzie
Dern (11-1). The event, which will go down at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas, may place the winner in prime position for a future
title shot.
Rodriguez’ first UFC main event went her way when she won a
decision over Michelle
Waterson in May. Rodriguez is riding a two-fight win streak
since her first career defeat, which came against Carla
Esparza a year ago. In January, the Brazilian smashed fellow
countrywoman Amanda
Ribas in the second round to earn her first stoppage inside the
Octagon. Rodriguez is the only woman in UFC history to fight to a
draw on two separate occasions, doing so against Randa
Markos in 2018 and then against Cynthia
Calvillo in 2019.
Since her own first career loss, a decision setback to Ribas in
2019, Dern has rattled off four victories including three
first-round submissions. In her last time out, Dern submitted
Nina
Nunes in the opening frame. After just seven appearances under
the UFC banner, Dern has already set the record for the most
first-round submissions of any female fighter in company history,
while she is also catching up on Amanda
Nunes’ UFC record of the most first-round stoppages among
women.
The UFC Fight Night card on Oct. 9 also reportedly gained an
intriguing heavyweight matchup between Alexander
Romanov and Jared
Vanderaa on Friday, per Cageside
Press. The event that will be staged inside the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas sports a featherweight clash between Chris
Gutierrez and Felipe
Dias Colares, as well as a middleweight battle between Laureano
Staropoli and Jamie
Pickett.
