Mackenzie Dern ahead of UFC 298: 'Page is turned, totally at a better place in my life'

IRVINE, Calif. – Mackenzie Dern says she’s heading into UFC 298 a lot more focused than her previous fight.

Dern (13-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) replaces an injured Tatiana Suarez against Amanda Lemos (13-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in Saturday’s featured prelim (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Honda Center in Anaheim.

Dern is coming off a TKO loss to former champion Jessica Andrade at UFC 295. The past year saw a lot of change in which Dern had to deal with switching managers, gyms and a divorce. Despite having a shorter training camp for Lemos, Dern’s mind is a lot clearer after going through those obstacles in her personal life.

“In these four weeks, I trained more than I was able to train in the two months I prepared for Jessica,” Dern said at Wednesday’s UFC 298 media day. “So, just because that page was turned thankfully financially, emotionally, physically. Just everything, how much I could dedicate to my camp even though it was a short amount of time. I’m so happy where I’m at right now.”

Dern expects to put on a much better performance against Lemos after being largely outmatched against Andrade.

“The page is turned, totally at a better place in my life, and a win or loss is part of life,” Dern said. “It could happen. I’m prepared for anything on Saturday, but I’m definitely way more prepared to be able to give my best and for an athlete, that’s all we could ask for. To be able to go injury free, stress free, and being able to be our best.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.