Denise Gomes believes her recent performances have earned her a shot at the UFC women’s strawweight championship, and she has made it clear that she wants Mackenzie Dern next.
The Brazilian contender is coming off an impressive first-round knockout of former title challenger Yan Xiaonan at UFC Shanghai on August 29. Gomes stopped the Chinese fighter with a perfectly timed elbow and follow-up punches at 4:49 of the opening round, extending her UFC winning streak to five fights.
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Gomes insisted that her performance against Xiaonan demonstrated why she deserves an opportunity to compete for the 115-pound title. “I’m ready. I’ve already proven it, I’ve already shown it. There’s a lot more where that came from,” Gomes said. She also described what she believes separates her from other contenders in the division, pointing to her combination of aggression and technical ability.
“What I’ve been delivering: violence and intelligence. That alone is a huge reason. I deserve it.” Gomes Wants Mackenzie Dern Next. Gomes has identified reigning strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern as her preferred next opponent. Dern captured the vacant championship with a unanimous decision victory over Virna Jandiroba in October 2025 before defending the belt against Gillian Robertson in August 2026. Both contests went the distance.
Gomes believes her finishing ability could bring a different challenge to the champion and generate excitement at the top of the division. Although she acknowledged Dern’s achievements, the Brazilian is confident that she has the tools to deal with the champion’s world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu. “She’s good at jiu-jitsu. People might think jiu-jitsu is my weakness, but it’s not. I’m very good at jiu-jitsu. I just hadn’t perfected it for MMA yet,” Gomes explained.
She added that she has learned to combine her aggression with better fight management and believes she can neutralise Dern’s grappling while creating opportunities to finish the fight. Gomes also made it clear that her ambitions extend beyond Dern. She would welcome a matchup with former champion Zhang Weili, whom she still considers one of the best fighters in the division.
At 26, Gomes has put together an impressive run in the UFC’s strawweight division. Her victory over Xiaonan followed wins against Tecia Pennington, Elise Reed, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Eduarda Moura. The five-fight streak has strengthened her position among the division’s leading contenders. The knockout of Xiaonan was particularly significant because it came against an experienced opponent who had previously challenged for the UFC title.
However, Gomes believes her performance deserved even more recognition. Gomes Still Frustrated Over Performance Bonus Snub. Beyond her title ambitions, Gomes also expressed disappointment about missing out on a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus following her knockout of Xiaonan. The Brazilian felt her finish deserved the financial recognition, joking that the only thing she had not done during the performance was a moonwalk.
Rather than allowing the disappointment to discourage her, Gomes says it has given her additional motivation to deliver another spectacular finish in her next appearance. She promised that whoever faces her next will have to deal with the frustration she has carried since the Xiaonan fight. Gomes is not the only strawweight contender making a case for the championship.
Tatiana Suarez recently defeated Jandiroba at UFC Vegas 124, earning her third consecutive victory and publicly calling for a title opportunity. Meanwhile, a report by MMA Mania on November 10 stated that the UFC is targeting a March 2027 title defence between Dern and Gomes. The matchup has not been signed or officially announced, so Suarez and other contenders remain part of the wider title picture. For Gomes, however, the message is clear: she believes her five-fight winning streak and emphatic knockout of Xiaonan have earned her the opportunity to challenge for UFC gold. Whether the promotion makes that matchup official remains to be seen, but Gomes is ready to take her place at the top of the division.
Denise Gomes believes her recent performances have earned her a shot at the UFC women’s strawweight championship, and she has made it clear that she wants Mackenzie Dern next. The Brazilian contender is coming off an impressive first-round knockout of former title challenger Yan Xiaonan at UFC Shanghai on August 29. Gomes stopped the Chinese fighter with a perfectly timed elbow and follow-up punches at 4:49 of the opening round, extending her UFC winning streak to five fights. Speaking to MMA Fighting, Gomes insisted that her performance against Xiaonan demonstrated why she deserves an opportunity to compete for the 115-pound title.
“I’m ready. I’ve already proven it, I’ve already shown it. There’s a lot more where that came from,” Gomes told MMA Fighting. “Start with what I did in my last fight. None of the girls at the top have done what I did. That says a lot about me already. What do the fans want to see? What do the people on the other side of the screen, who take time out of their day to sit in the stands and watch, want to see? What I’ve been delivering: violence and intelligence. That alone is a huge reason. I deserve it.”
“The other girls haven’t been delivering that,” Gomes said. “Mackenzie and Zhang haven’t been delivering that in their recent fights either. They always put on great fights, but not what I’ve been delivering. This division needs an upgrade. Whether Zhang comes back or not, to be completely honest, I deserve a title shot. I want to fight, and I want to fight Zhang because, to me, she’s one of the best. She still is. I want to fight the best. It would be an honor for me. I’m not taking anything away from Mackenzie. She’s there, she’s already fought for and defended the belt, but if I beat her, I want to fight Zhang. I want to fight all the other girls too.”
“We need to shake things up at the top of this division and bring more knockouts,” she added. “That’s how we generate a lot more excitement in our rankings. I’ll never disrespect any of the girls, they’re all tough as hell, but I deserve this opportunity. They’re making things happen in their own way, but nobody wants to see nothing but grappling and jiu-jitsu. I bring a lot more than that.”
Gomes has identified reigning strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern as her preferred next opponent.
Dern captured the vacant championship with a unanimous decision victory over Virna Jandiroba in October 2025 before defending the belt against Gillian Robertson in August 2026. Both contests went the distance. Gomes believes her finishing ability could bring a different challenge to the champion and generate excitement at the top of the division.
Although she acknowledged Dern’s achievements, the Brazilian is confident that she has the tools to deal with the champion’s world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“I’ve been fighting these girls in my head for a long time,” Gomes said. “I had to go out there and put my name at the top, and I’m aware of that, but now I want to move up and plant my flag there. I can always see ways to get a knockout, I can always see ways to finish a fight. Mackenzie is a perfect matchup for that because, like Jessica [Andrade] did, I can use the weapons I have and break her game.
“She’s good at jiu-jitsu. People might think jiu-jitsu is my weakness, but it’s not. I’m very good at jiu-jitsu. I just hadn’t perfected it for MMA yet. Even if she wants to take me to the ground, I have the weapons to deal with that. But I’ve learned how to fight smart lately, combine my aggression with intelligence, and for this fight, I’m going to shut down her game, neutralize everything she might want to do, and impose my own game.”
Beyond her title ambitions, Gomes also expressed disappointment about missing out on a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus following her knockout of Xiaonan. The Brazilian felt her finish deserved the financial recognition, joking that the only thing she had not done during the performance was a moonwalk. Rather than allowing the disappointment to discourage her, Gomes says it has given her additional motivation to deliver another spectacular finish in her next appearance. She promised that whoever faces her next will have to deal with the frustration she has carried since the Xiaonan fight.
“They want us to do what we do, deliver a hard fight and do incredible things, and when we do that, we’re not valued as much. That’s how I felt,” Gomes said. “I even joke that I think the only thing I didn’t do that was moonwalk. Not taking anything away from any fighter, obviously, everyone earned their recognition, but I know I deserved it just as much as anyone else. But I look at it this way: someone’s going to have to pay for it, right? I have a bonus that’s been building up. I’m going to fight, I’m going to score an incredible knockout in my next fight, and I’m going to say, ‘I have another bonus that’s been building up. If I had to do it twice to deserve it, I came here and did it.’ I take this as motivation, not as playing the victim.”
At 26, Gomes has put together an impressive run in the UFC’s strawweight division. Her victory over Xiaonan followed wins against Tecia Pennington, Elise Reed, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Eduarda Moura. The five-fight streak has strengthened her position among the division’s leading contenders. The knockout of Xiaonan was particularly significant because it came against an experienced opponent who had previously challenged for the UFC title.
However, Gomes believes her performance deserved even more recognition.
