UFC Fight Night 223: Dern vs. Hill | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Tito Wordsmith
- May 22
- 3 min read
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 223: Dern vs. Hill took place on May 20, 2023 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — UFC Vegas 73. The women’s strawweight main event featured BJJ specialist Mackenzie Dern against veteran Angela Hill in a five-round contest. Dern delivered the most complete performance of her career, dominating Hill with a surprising display of striking en route to a lopsided unanimous decision (49-43, 49-44, 49-44).
The main event earned Fight of the Night, while the undercard featured Joaquin Buckley’s spectacular head-kick KO in his welterweight debut and Carlos Diego Ferreira’s brutal knockout of Michael Johnson. Themba Gorimbo also appeared on the prelims in his continued UFC journey.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, May 20, 2023
📍 Venue: UFC Apex, Enterprise, Nevada, USA (UFC Vegas 73)
📺 Broadcast: ESPN+ (UFC on ESPN+ 81)
✅ Result: Mackenzie Dern def. Angela Hill via Unanimous Decision (49-43, 49-44, 49-44) (Round 5, 5:00)
⭐ Notable: Dern’s most complete career performance | FotN: Dern vs. Hill | Buckley head-kick KO in WW debut | Ferreira KO Johnson PoN | Borshchev PoN
Main Event: Dern vs. Hill
Dern surprised everyone with a striking-heavy approach. Known primarily as a world-class BJJ practitioner, she showcased crisp combinations, accurate straight punches, and relentless pressure that completely overwhelmed Hill. Her output was staggering: 247 total strikes to Hill’s 94, including 126 significant strikes. She also controlled over 13 minutes on the ground with 3 takedowns.
The scorecards reflected total dominance: 49-43, 49-44, 49-44 — one of the most lopsided main event decisions in recent memory. Hill showed incredible toughness in surviving all five rounds against Dern’s relentless assault. The fight earned Fight of the Night and post-event facts confirmed Dern climbed the strawweight bonus list.
Co-Main & Undercard Highlights
Anthony Hernandez stopped Edmen Shahbazyan via TKO (elbows) at 1:01 of round three. Joaquin Buckley delivered a spectacular head-kick KO of Andre Fialho at 4:15 of round two in his welterweight debut. Carlos Diego Ferreira knocked out Michael Johnson with a brutal right hand at 1:50 of round two (PoN). Viacheslav Borshchev also earned a PoN on the prelims.
Full Results
Mackenzie Dern def. Angela Hill — Decision (Unanimous) (Round 5) | 49-43, 49-44, 49-44 | FotN
Anthony Hernandez def. Edmen Shahbazyan — TKO (Elbows) R3, 1:01; Loopy Godinez def. Emily Ducote — UD R3; Joaquin Buckley def. Andre Fialho — TKO (Head Kick) R2, 4:15; Diego Ferreira def. Michael Johnson — KO (Right Hand) R2, 1:50 (PoN)
Viacheslav Borshchev (PoN); Themba Gorimbo vs. Takashi Sato; Natalia Silva; Chase Hooper vs. Nick Fiore; Ilir Latifi vs. Rodrigo Nascimento; Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Vanessa Demopoulos; Orion Cosce vs. Gilbert Urbina
Bonuses & Awards
🥊 Fight of the Night: Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill ($50,000 each)
🏆 Performance of the Night: Carlos Diego Ferreira ($50,000) — KO of Michael Johnson R2
🏆 Performance of the Night: Viacheslav Borshchev ($50,000)
Legacy & Impact
FN 223 was Mackenzie Dern’s most impressive performance. The BJJ world champion showed she had evolved into a complete mixed martial artist, with striking output and accuracy that silenced anyone who considered her one-dimensional. Joaquin Buckley’s welterweight debut head-kick KO signaled the beginning of a new chapter at 170 pounds that would see him become one of the division’s most exciting fighters.
References
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