Vilna Jandilova will rematch Mackenzie Dern for the vacant strawweight title this Saturday in Abu Dhabi at UFC 321. Kalkara, a woman who has chased greatness since entering the sport more than a decade ago, is now changing the way the UFC looks at belts.
Jandiroba became Invicta FC Champion in 2018, defended the title, and moved to the UFC a year later. She had stumbled at key moments en route to starting a five-fight winning streak, and this opportunity culminated. With Weili Zhang stepping away from the field to challenge Valentina Shevchenko at flyweight, it’s up to Jandilova and Dern to begin a new reign.
“It took years of hard work to get to this moment,” Jandilova told MMA Fighting. “I’m going to go get that belt on Saturday, but I didn’t wait to get that belt because it’s such a symbol to feel like a champion and to be proud of my story and my journey so far.”
Jandirova said competing against fellow Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in Abu Dhabi was “symbolic” given the martial arts’ recent cultural influence in the country. In addition, Saturday is a big day for Jiu-Jitsu, as earlier in the day in Rio de Janeiro the Gracie family will celebrate 100 years of Jiu-Jitsu history with a seminar.
“It’s just incredible,” Jandiroba said of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Anniversary. “I’m a big believer in the mysteries of the universe, how it channels all this energy. I loved finding out.”
“Here (Abu Dhabi), people really value Jiu-Jitsu,” she added. “It feels like a great moment and I think jiu-jitsu can get a lot out of this. I know I’ll be doing MMA there, but we can really express ourselves through jiu-jitsu.”
Jandiroba suffered a third-round decision loss to Dern in December 2020, and also lost a decision against Amanda Rivas shortly after stopping Kanako Murata. Jandiroba said her life changed in that moment, reaching Abu Dhabi as a title challenger with wins over Angela Hill, Marina Rodriguez, Lupita Godinez, Amanda Lemos and Yang Xiaonan.
“Like many other fights, the fight against McKenzie, especially the one I lost, taught me a lot,” Jandirova said. “I’m sure it was Mackenzie’s loss along with the win that got me here. It was learning certain keys and pivoting. That’s a positive, the fact that we’ve already fought and the fact that I already know her in some way. I tend to perform better in a familiar environment, so I think that’s a good thing.”
“I’m more mature, more whole and more confident now,” she continued. “People have to tune in to see the fights, the strategy and everything else (laughs). But what I can say is that I’m different. I’ve put a lot of work on myself over the last few years. You can see the changes in my behavior, technical evolution and everything else. I think it’s a result of maturation and finding a unique way to express myself inside the Octagon.”
Jandiroba’s current winning streak includes three names who have defeated Dern since their 2020 matchup: Lemos, Yan and Rodriguez, and that alone gives her even more confidence to get the job done on Saturday.
“I faced women who are part of the division’s elite and had to challenge myself deeply to overcome a lot of things within myself, both mentally and psychologically,” Jandirova said. “All these fights have given me experience, stability and confidence for Saturday’s fight.”