Mackenzie Dern reveals UFC brass messaged her after competing at Craig Jones Invitational; eager to return for CJI 2 in August

Mackenzie Dern made waves in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu community in 2024 when she opted to compete at the Craig Jones Invitiational (CJI) instead of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) World Championships. As a former ADCC champion, there was much excitement surrounding her return to the competition as announced by the event's official Instagram page last year.

However, the lucrative $1 million prize money for CJI, which was held on the same weekend as ADCC 2024, saw many of the best grapplers in the world choose to compete at the Jones' newly-created competition, including Dern.

The strawweight MMA fighter recently competed at UFC Fight Night 249 on Jan. 11 against Amanda Ribas, securing a third-round submission win. She appeared in front of the media following her victory, where she was asked about her participation in CJI 2, which was recently announced by Jones.

While answering the question, the Brazilian revealed that she had received a message from a UFC executive following her performance at CJI.

She said:

"Yeah, for sure. Definitely, I mean he always brings the money. And it's a good showing, I like how [Jones] brings the entertainment to jiu-jitsu, we kind of need that. I mean, of course always respect our sport, but I think he reaches a lot of different people. Which is one of the reasons why I came to MMA was to try and spread jiu-jitsu to people who maybe never even seen martial arts."

She continued:

"I know the UFC has [their own grappling competition]. The last time I fought at [CJI] they were like, 'You've got to fight at our event.' The new [UFC Fight Pass Invitational]. But I'd be down for sure."

Check out Mackenzie Dern's comments below (9:05):

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Conor McGregor reacts to Mackenzie Dern's submission win over Amanda Ribas

Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas headlined the UFC's first card of 2024 in an all-Brazilian strawweight clash. The submission specialist secured her second consecutive win as she locked up an arm-bar which forced her opponent to tap in the dying seconds of the third round.

Meanwhile, Ribas has now lost back-to-back fights for the first time in her career, as well as being handed her first submission defeat in MMA.

Following the bout, Conor McGregor took to X to share his reaction to the result, writing:

"Great fight! Awesome showcase! @MackenzieDern, @AmandaRibasUFC, an excellent rivalry between the two Brazilians! So good! 1 a piece now, I would definitely love to see this trilogy!"

Catch Conor McGregor's reaction to Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas below: