Mackenzie Dern is an American mixed martial arts fighter and a black belt holder in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She packs a formidable opponent in her relatively small athletic physique.
Pound for pound, she has a lethal arsenal of Jiu-Jitsu-skills artillery that has seen her beat top contenders in MMA. Mackenzie was once ranked number one by the IBJJF.
Currently, Dern is ranked number 6 by the IBJJF and number 11 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for women as a strawweight.
Mackenzie has two ‘Performance of the Night’ Awards in her UFC career thus far. Check out Mackenzie’s bio in our article.
Who is Mackenzie Dern?
At 28 years of age in 2021, Mackenzie Dern is breaking every stereotype bias when it comes to women in competitive sports like mixed martial arts. She is one of the top-ranked contenders in the IBJJF and the UFC.
Mackenzie was once ranked number one by the IBJJF.
Mackenzie began competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s adult divisions at a mere 14 years of age. Dern honed her skills under her father and stepmother’s watchful eye, who are both mixed martial artists.
Her dad awarded her with a black belt when she was near her 20th birthday in December of 2012.
One of Mackenzie’s most notable accolades in MMA is being the only female to win gold medals as a Black Belt holder.
The medals came courtesy of her wins in the Asian Open, the biggest BJJ tournament in Asia, organized by IBJJF. To illustrate her worthiness of the title, she had 6 first-place finishes in the tournament.
Mackenzie made a name for herself initially in the Legacy Fighting Alliance. Subsequently, she proceeded to join the Invicta Fighting Championship in December 2017 during Invicta FC 26.
Dern then joined the UFC in March 2018 during UFC 222. She hit the ground running and dominated her opponent, Ashley Yoder, winning by split decision.
In May 2020, Mackenzie became the first woman in UFC history to win a fight by a leg lock. Her win bagged her a ‘Performance of the Night’ award.
Mackenzie Dern is married to Surfer Wesley Santos; meet their daughter.
Mackenzie Dern is happily married to Wesley Santos, a professional surfer. The BJJ world champion exchanged her wedding vows with her man, Wesley, in a beautiful private ceremony. Shortly after, the couple had a bun in the oven.
Mackenzie took a break from MMA in February of 2019 due to her pregnancy. The MMA athlete announced the good news on her Instagram. However, not everyone was happy with the news.
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She lost a whopping 20,000 followers when she dropped the news. In June 2019, the couple welcomed their adorable baby girl named Moa.
After announcing her baby’s birth on her Instagram, Mackenzie gained a new 20,000 followers, offsetting her previous fan loss. Currently, Dern has 835K followers on her Instagram account.
Photo of Mackenzie Dern with her daughter, Moa Dern Santos.
Mackenzie Dern’s Net Worth and Income Sources.
The 27-year-old BJJ world champion is pulling in major dough thanks to her top performance in MMA championships. Mackenzie Dern is estimated to have a net worth of $1 million.
Her income is mainly sourced from her earnings as a mixed martial artist. To illustrate, Dern took home $50,000 from her first UFC match.
In her second UFC match, she took home net earnings of about $18,000 after a fine of $13,050 for exceeding the strawweight upper limit of 116 lbs. At the time, she weighed 124 lbs, which was 7 pounds over the limit.
Height, Weight, and Measurements.
Mackenzie Dern has a healthy athletic frame that boasts a healthy 115 pounds and a 5 ft 4 height.
Mackenzie Dern’s Wiki-Facts.
| Full name | Mackenzie Dern |
| Age | 27 years old. |
| Date of Birth | March 24, 1993 |
| Place of Birth | Phoenix, Arizona, United States. |
| Profession | MMA fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt |
| Net worth | $1 million |
| Partner | Wesley Santos |
| Kids | 1 |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Brazilian-American |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| Parents | Wellington Dias |