Mackenzie Dern is a 31-year-old American professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. She was previously ranked the No. 1 IBJJF competitor, in addition to several of her professional career records.
The about $1 million worth fighter was previously married to professional surfer Wesley Santos. The pair amicably parted ways in 2022 for undisclosed reasons.
Who is Mackenzie Dern?
Mackenzie Dern was born on March 24, 1993,Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. She is the daughter of Wellington “Megaton” Dias, the only Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor to have competed in all 24 World Jiu-Jitsu Championships, since the first competition in 1996. Her father is as well owner of Megaton Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy and an affiliate of Team Gracie Humaita.
According to reports, her parents separated in 1996. Dern’s maternal mother is not known but she has a stepmother named Luciana Tavares who is as well a black belt.
As a child, Mackenzie grew up traveling back and forth between Arizona and her father’s native Brazil where her maternal mother was supposedly resident. She is also known to have attended Ironwood High School in Glendale, Arizona.
The Mixed Martial Artist Began Training at the Tender Age of 3
Dern began her martial arts training at the age of three, practicing with her father and stepmother, Luciana Tavares. Furthermore, Mackenzie started competing at a young age and was featured in the adult divisions when she turned 14. So far, she has won a world championship in every belt level. She also impressively progressed to black belt rank, which was awarded to her by her father in December 2012, three months before her 20th birthday.
Due to her six 1st place finishes at the Asian Open, Mackenzie is the only female Jiu-Jitsu competitor to have won Gold Medals at the Black Belt level at each of the 5 principal/highest ranking IBJJF Gi Championships. The other events are the Worlds, the Euros, the Pan Ams, and the Brazilian Nationals. One of her biggest achievements in BJJ came when she defeated Gabi Garcia despite a huge weight difference, becoming one of the few UFC women fighters to do so.
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She Shares a Daughter with Her Ex-husband
Although the actual wedding day and year of Mackenzie Dern and Wesley Santos have not been stated, it is known that they split in 2022. Dern announced her separation from Santos while responding to questions on her Twitter handle. The UFC strawweight contender also said she is grateful for everything she had with Santos and she wishes him well as they grow apart. Prior to their split, Dern had announced in February 2019 that she had put her MMA career on hold because she was pregnant. Her daughter, Moa, was born on June 9, 2019, and is currently 5 years old.
Meanwhile, the fighter’s ex-husband is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a left back.
Mackenzie Dern made Her Money from Her MMA Career
As earlier stated, Mackenzie has an approximate net worth of $1 million. According to surprisesports.com, she has earned around $900,00 from her professional mixed martial arts career and has also collected a list of endorsement deals for extra annual income from outfits like Dopamina, Zebra, My Protein, Hayabusa and KillCliff.
Mackenzie devotes a considerable portion of her financial resources to her clothing. Additionally, she enjoys spending time with her daughter in exotic parks and on the beach.
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