One thing a lot of mothers have to with their newborns is to breast feed them, which Dern credits for helping maintain her weight.
“I give her some powdered milk to help, because you lose some nutrients while dieting. But I’ve been breastfeeding normally, and that helps me to stay slimmer. Your weight comes off and it helps a lot. Sometimes a kick to the breast can hurt, or during a grappling session, but I’m used to it now. I don’t even feel the pain anymore. My body is reacting quite well. My weight is doing great, I’m at 116.8, and the limit is 116, so I’m not even struggling when it comes to weight cutting,” Dern told AG Fight.
The fighter has had a history of failing to make weight for fights, both before and during her UFC tenure.
Dern isn’t looking past Ribas either, as the fighter is calling Ribas her “biggest challenge yet.”
“It sure is (my biggest challenge yet). She’s the toughest girl I’ve ever been matched up with so far. She scored a submission in her UFC debut, so she’s no fool on the ground. I think it’ll get complicated. When they go up against me, many try to avoid the ground, so that makes my strategy easier. But I think she believes in her jiu-jitsu and her striking,” says Dern.
UFC Fight Night Tampa takes place tonight from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida with Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Michelle Waterson headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on ESPN+.
