Table of Biography
Mackenzie Dern is a well-known mixed martial artist from the United States. Mackenzie Dern is a former world number one ranked IBJJF competitor, currently ranked 6th among the female divisions.
Early Life
Mackenzie Dern was born on the 24th of March 1993, in Phoenix, Arizona, the United States of America. She is currently 30 years old and has a birth sign of Aries. In addition, she holds dual citizenship of American and Brazilian. She belongs to a mixed ethnicity and has her belief in Christianity religion. Her birth name is Mackenzie Lynne Dern Santos and can speak both languages, English and Portuguese.
She was born to her parents; Wellington Dias (father) and her biological mother’s name is unknown. Moreover, she was raised by her stepmother, Luciana Tavares who is a black belt holder. She grew up with her two half-siblings; Korah and Merrick. As a child, she grew up in an athletic family and began training at the age of three.
Caption: Mackenzie Dern with her father (Source: | Bjj Eastern Europe)
Mackenzie went to Ironwood High School in Glendale, Arizona, and completed her early high school education. However, she later dropped out of college to pursue her professional career in martial arts.
Professional Career
Talking about her professional career, Mackenzie Dern made her debut MMA fight against Kenia Rosas on December 8, 2017, at Legacy FC 58. In her debut against Kenia, she won by unanimous decision. At Legacy FC 61, she defeated Montana De La Rosa by first-round submission. Similarly, she fought and won by unanimous decision against Katherine Roy at LFA 6, and via first-round rear-naked choke against Mandy Polk at LFA 24.
She signed with Invicta Fighting Championship in November 2017, and she made her Invicta debut against Kaline Medeiros on December 8, 2017, at Invicta FC 26: Maia vs. Niedzwiedz, winning via armbar in round three.
She made her UFC promotional debut on March 3, 2018, at UFC 222, defeating Ashley Yoder via split decision. Then, on May 12, 2018, she defeated Amanda Cooper at UFC 224. She was later defeated by Amanda Ribas through a unanimous decision on October 12, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 19. Moreover, she was unable to face Ariane Carnelossi at UFC Fight Night 173 on April 25, 2020, due to travel issues.
Recent Career
Mackenzie then defeated Hannah Cifers on May 30, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns. After winning the fight, she became the first woman in UFC history to end the fight with any type of leg hold, earning her her first Performance of the Night award. Moreover, she fought Randa Markos at UFC Fight Night 178 on September 19, 2020. She won via submission in the first round. This was her second consecutive win for Performance of the Night.
Later, she fought Virna Jandiroba at UFC 256 on December 12, 2020. She was successful by unanimous decision. On April 10, 2021, she battled Nina Nunes at UFC on ABC 2. She won the fight with an armbar in the first round. This victory earned her the award for Performance of the Night.
Caption: Mackenzie Dern during a UFC fight (Source: Instagram)
Later, she fought Marina Rodriguez on UFC Fight Night 194 on October 9, 2021. She was defeated by a unanimous decision. This fight earned her the Fight of the Night award. Afterward, she faces Tecia Torres at UFC 273 on April 9, 2022. She won a close split decision over Torres.
In addition, she faces Yan Xiaonan at UFC Fight Night 211 on October 1, 2022. She was defeated by a majority decision. In addition, she was set to compete against Angela Hill at UFC on ABC 4 on May 13, 2023. However, the fight was pushed up one week to headline UFC Fight Night 223.
Awards
As an MMA fighter, she has won some recognition for her career. “Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Hannah Cifers, Randa Markos, and Nina Ansaroff,” “Most submission wins in the UFC Strawweight division (four),” “Tied (with Gillian Robertson) for the most submission wins in the UFC among women (four)” are some of the achievement.
Mackenzie Dern – Net Worth 2023
This MMA fighter has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million as of 2022. Moreover, she makes money from her MMA fighting career and she is living a luxurious lifestyle with her career earnings.
Mackenzie Dern won $50,000 in her first UFC encounter, followed by $29,000 to show a $29,000 victory bonus and $3,500 fight week incentive pay in her second UFC match at UFC 224. Her actual salary is still unknown as of 2022 because she has not disclosed anything about her current earnings.
Relationship Status
Talking about her personal life, Mackenzie Dern married Wesley Santos. Moreover, her husband is a professional surfer by profession. With the marriage, the couple has a daughter named Moa who was born on 9th June 2019. However, in the past, she was rumored to date Marcus Buchecha Almeida and even spotted hanging out at parties.
Caption: Mackenzie Dern with her family (Source: UFC.com)
Unfortunately, they split up later that year. Mackenzie Dern was engaged to her then-fiance, Augusto Tanquinho Mendes, before marrying Santos. According to Dern, she left Black House MMA following a reported incident involving her initial coach, Juan Gomez, in which he got into a violent battle with her spouse over a money dispute.
Body Measurements
Caption: Mackenzie Dern posing for a photo (Source: Instagram)
Mackenzie Dern is a beautiful-looking lady and has an athletic body type. Moreover, she stands 5 feet 3 inches tall (1.60 m) and weighs around 52 kg (115 lbs). In addition, she has brown hair with a pair of blue eyes. Her body measurement is 37-26-38 inches while her sexual orientation is straight.
Mackenzie Dern – Social Media
On her Instagram page ‘@mackenziedern’ there are over 1.1 million followers. Likewise, there are over 63.4k followers ‘@MackenzieDern’ and over 482k followers on her Facebook.