Chael Sonnen issues unfiltered criticism of Mackenzie Dern in light of Amanda Ribas win, slams UFC strawweight for being "so unaware of the sport"

Chael Sonnen recently offered sharp commentary on Mackenzie Dern in the wake of her victory over Amanda Ribas. This past Saturday, Dern redeemed her October 2019 defeat to Ribas by securing a third-round submission victory over her former adversary in the main event of UFC Vegas 101.

With her victory, Dern added to her tally for the most finishes (five) in the UFC strawweight division and secured her second consecutive win. However, Sonnen remained unimpressed, instead focusing on aspects of her persona that were unrelated to fighting.

During a recent episode of ESPN's Good Guy/Bad Guy with Daniel Cormier, Sonnen took aim at Dern for not pushing for a title shot following her victory at UFC Vegas 101.

The outspoken UFC veteran, renowned for his gift of the gab, argued that the American-born Brazilian lacks the charisma and mic skills needed to promote herself effectively in the sport:

"I could not go back over Mackenzie’s career and hand her one compliment on anything she’s done from an entertainment aspect. I couldn’t tell you one time she had a microphone in her hand and turned it into a pipe bomb."

Sonnen further remarked that while Dern often speaks about the challenges she’s faced, those words won’t lead to hefty paychecks unless she backs them up with attention-grabbing actions:

"She talks about some of her hardships and things outside the ring, which do compel you very much to her, but as far as understanding what makes dollars, it has got to make sense. She doesn’t know what any of those words mean. I’ve never seen a second-generation athlete so unaware of the sport that’s going on around them."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (22:40):

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Mackenzie Dern shares her thoughts on taking her time with title shot

After her victory over Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 101, Mackenzie Dern clarified that she isn't eager to rush into her first strawweight title opportunity just yet.

At the post-fight press conference, Dern admitted that despite her victory, she made several mistakes during the fight. She expressed a desire to challenge herself again before pursuing a championship bout:

"I think I’m very hard on myself. I’m always trying to get better. Even when I had a great performance, I thought I had done so many things wrong. I think that it’s a lot of play messing in your head, so it can take your journey and maybe make it a little longer... My idea is to get the belt, and I want to be a dominant champion. I’m not in a rush to get there."

Check out Mackenzie Dern's comments below (2:18):