Dern Dismisses Robertson's 'High School' Drama Before UFC 330

Mackenzie Dern has no interest in engaging with Gillian Robertson's verbal shots ahead of their UFC 330 strawweight title fight Saturday in Philadelphia.

Robertson took aim at the champion during the event's press conference, per MMA Mania, saying she dislikes Dern for dismissing her accomplishments and pretending not to know about her submission record. "I feel like she has been diminishing my skills through the media and stuff," Robertson said, adding that she would love to tap out Dern and add to her own finish total.

Dern's Response To Robertson's Personal Attacks

Dern insisted the tension between them is manufactured, telling reporters the only time they had seen each other before fight week was at the face-off. "It just feels like we're in high school. Like, 'Oh, who doesn't like each other,' you know?" she said, according to the report. The champion added that the best time they will get to know each other is during their 25-minute cage fight.

When asked about Robertson's claim that she is not a complete mixed martial artist, Dern pointed to her championship status. "No, I'm the champion!" she said. "I won my title fight elbowing from the bottom, striking, grappling. If she wants to take me to the ground, then of course we're gonna have jiu jitsu, but I'm the champ, so I'm doing everything."

Oddsmakers have installed Dern as a minus-245 favorite over the plus-186 underdog Robertson. The champion is listed at plus-220 to win by submission, while Robertson carries plus-1400 odds to tap out Dern. The co-main event takes place beneath the Islam Makhachev versus Ian Machado Garry lightweight title fight.

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• MMA Mania — Mackenzie Dern dismisses ‘high school’ drama at UFC 330 with Gillian Robertson: ‘I’m the champion’