Several UFC events have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and Dern is still a little unsure if UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Burns will go down.
“I was coming off a bit of a messy camp, not an ideal camp, and my fight was canceled,” Dern told MMA Fighting. “My opponent was changed and they confirmed a new one, but, honestly, I am getting ready. It’s crazy because I’m used to this type of training now. It was very difficult for my first fight, everything was so new, but I’ve been training like this for two months now. However, I’m still not 100 percent confident the fight will happen or not. I’m waiting to see if the week of 9, 13 and 16, if the three events will happen, and then, ‘OK, it will happen.’ But I’m focused as it’s happening. I’m training as hard as possible.”
The UFC is returning to action this weekend with UFC 249, which is the first of three events in Jacksonville in a one week span.
Dern’s training has also been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but she has been training in a “Rocky Balboa-style” in the lead up to the fight.
“I obviously haven’t sparred with many people and different styles to feel that well,” Dern said. “Gyms aren’t open, so my preparation is Rocky Balboa-style, running at the beach and things like that, but I’m feeling great and adapting everything we need.”
UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Burns takes place on Saturday, May 23 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada with Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which airs live on ESPN.
