UFC's Mackenzie Dern Teases WWE Future, Oba Says 'F--k You' to Bronson, AEW Rumors on Young Bucks

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and All Elite Wrestling.

UFC's Dern Interested in Future WWE Career

Mackenzie Dern is enjoying enormous success as a UFC fighter, but a future foray into pro wrestling with WWE is on her radar.

Speaking recently to Daniel Trainor and Mike Vulpo of Us Weekly , Dern expressed interest in entering the squared circle one day with WWE.

"Oh yeah, that'd be fun. So much fun," Dern said. "I mean, the Bella [Twins]. It's so cool. I'd be able to once I retire."

In addition to her affinity for a pair of WWE Hall of Famers in Nikki and Brie Bella, Dern mentioned former UFC and WWE star Ronda Rousey as someone she would like to face before her MMA career is over, saying, "Ronda Rousey is a lot bigger, but it would have been amazing to do like an exhibition match with her."

If Dern does eventually make the leap to WWE, she will be following in the footsteps of Rousey, who established herself as the biggest women's MMA star of all time before going to WWE and becoming a multi-time women's champion.

While not necessarily as dominant as Rousey was in the Octagon during her heyday, the 33-year-old Dern has enjoyed a remarkable career, compiling a 17-5 record.

That includes beating Virna Jandiroba last year at UFC 321 to win the vacant UFC women's strawweight title.

Dern successfully defended the title against Gillian Robertson in August, and she remains the reigning UFC women's strawweight champ.

That suggests Dern's UFC career isn't ending any time soon, but when it does, it sounds like she is heavily considering WWE.

WWE Releases Video of Oba/Reed Interaction

After trading blows once again during Monday night's episode of Raw, WWE released a video of a tense interaction between Oba Femi and Bronson Reed.

Femi saved Je'Von Evans from a potential three-on-one beatdown at the hands of The Vision, which resulted in Oba and Bronson getting some big shots in on each other.

Oba prevented Reed from hitting him with a steel chair and ultimately sent Reed out of the ring with a massive chair shot to his back.

Femi had some choice words for Reed following the physicality, and WWE transcribed The Ruler's verbal barbs in a video on X, as he told Reed, "Get out of here! You and me. You and men. Mano a mano. You step on my face, f--k you!"

Oba was seemingly referencing a previous interaction between himself and Reed, which made some waves throughout the wrestling world.

During the Sept. 7 episode of Raw, Femi was left laying in the middle of the ring thanks to an attack at the hands of The Vision.

While The Vision admired and celebrated their handiwork, Reed placed his foot on top of a prone Femi, only for Oba to swipe Reed's foot away.

Following that, WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Cain A. Knight of Cageside Seats) reported that Oba's actions were not part of the script, and some people in WWE weren't fans of him going into business for himself in that moment.

Despite that, WWE is clearly still moving forward with Femi vs. Reed and The Vision as a whole, and Monday's interaction suggests WWE is leaning into the controversy that surrounded their previous encounter.

Rumored Details on The Young Bucks' AEW Contracts

The Young Bucks have been central figures in AEW since its initial creation, but they reportedly could be in line to hit free agency in the near future if they choose to do so.

Speaking this week on his Talk'n Shop podcast (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), former WWE, NJPW and TNA, and current MLW star Karl Anderson commented on The Young Bucks' contractual status:

Anderson said he talks to Matt and Nick Jackson "every single day," and noted that their AEW deals are set to expire some time in 2027.

He went on to admit that he has no idea how much longer The Young Bucks intend on wrestling.

While there were various points over the years where it felt like a possibility that The Young Bucks would make the leap to WWE, it is somewhat difficult to envision it happening at this point.

Matt and Nick are executive vice presidents of AEW, giving them far more skin in the game with AEW than a typical wrestler.

There is likely no scenario in which they would be given that level of power and responsibility upon signing with WWE, so re-signing with AEW feels like the obvious resolution.

Of course, nothing is impossible in pro wrestling, as Cody Rhodes decided to return to WWE despite being an AEW EVP in his own right.

Unlike Rhodes, The Young Bucks were never part of WWE in the past, though, which makes them leaving AEW feel far less realistic.