The women’s strawweight title will be in the spotlight at UFC 330 on August 15, when Mackenzie Dern will put her championship on the line for the first time against Gillian Robertson.

Dern, with a record of 16-5, earned praise last October by winning UFC 321, where she defeated Virna Jandiroba. Now, Dern is set to make her first UFC strawweight title defense, riding a 3-fight winning streak. The victory showcased her submission dominance, a skill set she will rely on against Robertson.

In the meantime, on June 19, Dern shared an Instagram post showing her training in the gym with a dumbbell.

She had not said or written anything but sent a clear message to the opposing team in the caption using emojis, including “💪🏼👊🏼.”

Apart from UFC 321, Dern’s last 2 wins were:

• In January 2025, Dern defeated Amanda Ribas
• In August 2024, she defeated Loopy Godinez.

Dern was the jiu-jitsu world champion in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, she earned titles at both the IBJJF World Championship and the ADCC World Championship. In 2016, Dern defended her IBJJF title.

Apart from that, she has also won most of her MMA bouts by submission.

On the contrary, Robertson holds the record for the most submission wins in UFC women's history. She has proven herself 7 times.

So, now the question is: what is Dern's overall training approach for the fight?

Mackenzie Dern’s overall training approach

Although Dern has not recently shared details of her fitness routine or workout approaches, online articles and her Instagram account indicate that she alternates between boxing, strength training, and jiu-jitsu. Apart from that, Dern’s conditioning is built around weightlifting.

Her upper and lower body focused training splits include:

Upper-body focus

• Jumping rope for a warm-up
• Multiple sets of pull-ups
• Push-ups
• Shoulder press
• Dumbbell rows
• Biceps curls
• Tricep dips
• Full-body stretching for cooldown.

Low-body focus

• Jumping rope for 5 minutes
• Deadlifts and squats
• Lunges
• Leg presses
• Calf raises
• Hip thrust
• Leg extension
• Full-body stretching.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil