Women’s strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern participated on August 10, 2026 in the traditional UFC official faceoff, marking the beginning of the week of her first title defense. The Brazilian-American fighter came face to face with her opponent, Canadian Gillian Robertson, on the iconic “Rocky Steps”, the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, United States, a place that symbolizes overcoming and challenge for many.
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In addition to Dern and Robertson, the face-off ceremony was attended by the main names on the UFC 330 card, Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry, who will face each other in the main fight of the night.
Mackenzie Dern won the strawweight category belt by beating Virna Jandiroba in October 2025. Now, she is preparing for this first test as champion. The fighter arrives at the clash with a sequence of three victories, while Gillian Robertson has an impressive record of five consecutive victories, promising a fierce duel in the co-main event of UFC 330.
During the face-to-face meeting, the tension was palpable, but without the occurrence of direct provocations between the competitors. Robertson demonstrated a more restrained and serious posture, while Mackenzie Dern chose to approach with her left arm raised, holding the belt with her right hand, a gesture of displaying the title before the battle.
UFC 330 will also feature Islam Makhachev making his first defense of his welterweight belt, in the 150-pound category, against Ian Machado Garry. The Russian fighter won the title in November 2025, and the fight represents Garry’s first chance to win a title in the UFC octagon.
The face-off between Makhachev and Garry followed the usual protocol, without exchanging words or greetings. Although there is a notable difference of almost 13 centimeters in the height of the athletes, this physical disparity did not become the main focus of the event.