Jason Parillo says UFC strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern‘s grappling game is unmatched.
Dern (16-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) makes her first title defense against Gillian Robertson (17-8 MMA, 14-6 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 330 co-main event at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia (Paramount+).
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Head coach Parillo is happy to see Dern’s motivation at an all-time high after she captured the vacant title at UFC 321 last October.
“In the fight game, it’s easier to win the world title than hold on to it,” Parillo said on “UFC Countdown.” “It’s hard to hold on to it because you lose your hunger, you lose your passion, you already got to the top. Since she’s won the world title, she has shown me more hunger than I’ve ever seen since maybe the first year that I met her.”
Dern is second for most submission wins in UFC women’s history behind only her opponent, Robertson. But despite Robertson’s success on the ground, Parillo says ADCC champion Dern will show a different level.
“I think Gillian believes that her grappling is superior. She’s going to find out that it’s not,” Parillo said. “Mackenzie has an ability to transition into so many different areas down there. She can find a limb, she can find a neck, she can find a leg. Her submission game is definitely on a whole other level than I think Gillian has ever been in front of before, and I see Mackenzie defending her world title in high fashion.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Mackenzie Dern’s coach: Gillian Robertson is in for a big surprise at UFC 330
