Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter and American martial artist Mackenzie Dern is on the rise in his MMA career. She made her first appearance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2018, two years after becoming an MMA fighter. Lately a Jiu-Jitsu fighter, Dern is both a BJJ and an ADCC world champion. She was once the highest ranked woman in BJJ and won every major title to be won in combat sports. Dern switched to MMA in 2016 in order to become a UFC champion and so far things are going pretty well with many speculating that she could become the next Ronda Rousey. Follow us as we discuss more of this fierce fighter that’s garnering more and more attention every day.
Who is Mackenzie Dern, American Martial Artist?
Mackenzie Dern was born on March 24, 1993 in Phoenix, Arizona. She is the daughter of Wellington Dias, aka “Megaton”, a renowned Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioner who has been training since 1976. She was raised in both Arizona and Rio. She is therefore fluent in English and Portuguese. Under the tutelage of her father, Mackenzie began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of 3. Dern graduated from Glendale’s Ironwood High School.
She proved to be a piece of the old block as she was ready to compete in the sport from the age of 6. She quickly became a child prodigy and her name made headlines whenever there was news regarding women in BJJ.
At age 14, she began competing in the adult division. Last would win a world championship at all belt levels. She shone at the 2012 ADCC North American Championships in San Diego where she won a gold medal.
Three months before her 20th birthday, Dern was promoted to black belt level by her father. She remains the only female BJJ fighter to win gold medals at the top 5 IBJJF Gi Championship qualifiers including: Worlds, Euros, Asian Open, Pan American and Brazilian Nationals.
In 2016, Mackenzie Dern decided to take up a new challenge – MMA. She started fighting under Legacy Fighting Alliance. She joined Invicta Fighting Championship in November 2017 and joined the UFC in early 2018. Dern is determined to become a UFC champion. She continues to practice BJJ in her spare time.
Here are some facts to know
• Dern’s mother-in-law Luciana Tavares is also a black belt BJJ fighter.
• His victory over Gabi Garci in 2015, remains one of his most famous victories. Garcia entered the fight as a 5-year-old undefeated champion and even outweighed Dern by around 80 kilos. Either way, Dern took the win in what has been called one of the biggest lags in women’s BJJ history.
• Wellington Dias, Dern’s father, doesn’t like the idea of Dern fighting in MMA, saying he doesn’t feel good as a father watching his daughter get punched in the face. He supports her anyway.
• Since becoming a mixed martial artist, she has been heavily criticized for her inconsistent weight. In his seventh MMA fight at UFC 224 in May 2018, Mackenzie had lost weight three times.
• Dern lost 30% of his fight bag to his UFC 224 opponent Amanda Cooper for entering the fight at 7 kilos over the strawweight limit. The exact numbers were $13,050 out of the $58,000 salary he earned from the fight. His penalty also included the loss of the $50,000 “Fight Night” performance bonus.
• Due to inconsistencies, Mackenzie Dern was questioned leaving the elite gym, MMA Lab where she trained. After being kicked out of the gym, Dern spoke to MMA Junkie saying that she and her trainer John Crouch didn’t have “100% understanding.”
• Mackenzie Dern is an animal lover, especially dogs. She owns two American Bulldogs who often feature in her interviews.
• The fighter is rumored to have a relationship with Marcus Almeida, also known as Buchecha, another Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion.
• Dern is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 115 pounds. She has a reach of 63 inches and a leg of 37 inches.
• Back in high school, Dern used her Jiu-Jitsu techniques to teach a lesson to a kid who was trying to bully his childhood male friend. The bully, a girl, had broken her friend’s glasses by throwing them on the floor.