Mackenzie Dern to return to action against Amanda Bobby Cooper in May

UFC strawweight Mackenzie Dern, one of the promotion's top prospects, will return to action against Amanda Bobby Cooper in May.

The UFC has finalized the 115-pound bout for UFC 224 on May 12 in Rio de Janeiro.

Cooper posted the fight announcement on Instagram.

Fight Announcement!!! I can't wait for this, in just eight weeks I'll be in Rio fighting McKenzie Dern on UFC 224. I've been waiting for this fight longer then when I got the call for it, I've been waiting for this fight longer then when McKenzie got signed to UFC, I've been waiting for this for longer than when McKenzie get signed to Invicta, I've been waiting for this fight from the moment I heard her name. I've been training for this fight, I've been training for McKenzie and I've been training to beat her longer than you can imagine. I'm going to derail the hype train on May 12th. #ufc224 #roadtorio

A post shared by Amanda Bobby Cooper (@abcnation115) on Mar 14, 2018 at 6:25pm PDT

Dern (6-0) made her promotional debut at UFC 222 earlier this month in Las Vegas. The 24-year-old defeated Ashley Yoder via split decision.

Fighting out of MMA Lab in Arizona, Dern specifically requested a fight at UFC 224, which takes place at Jeunesse Arena. The highly decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt made her pro fighting debut in 2016. Three of her six victories have come via submission.

Cooper (3-3) is a former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter reality series. She is 2-2 in the UFC and coming off a TKO win over Angela Magana in December.

A female bantamweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington will headline UFC 224.