Winner of the best female black belt and best submission in the 2016 FloGrappling Awards, Mackenzie Dern (view profile) had an incredible year -- but she's not stopping there. 

The world champion promises big plans for 2017, starting with a trip to Lisbon, Portugal, for the Europeans on Jan. 21-22, a main event superfight on Fight To Win Pro 25 on Feb. 4, and a possible MMA fight in March.



Dern teases some major news in the interview, saying that in addition to all of the above there could be a big announcement coming soon. 

I won a lot of the titles I wanted in my weight division, so my goal really has to win absolute. 

I even thought about going up a weight division like Leandro Lo. I accomplished a lot of things as a featherweight, but for MMA it's better to keep my weight low. 

My goal for 2017 is to win more absolute divisions. After that I have a superfight with Pati Fontes from Checkmat in Scottsdale, Arizona. It's submission only, the main event for Fight To Win, and I'm so excited for that. 

So March 10 is what we're looking at [for MMA], it's about 90 percent sure. I'm excited to get back in the cage and try to show my jiu-jitsu.

Mackenzie Dern fights in the IBJJF European Championships on Jan. 21-22, and in Fight To Win 25 on Feb. 4.

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