Mackenzie Lynne Dern Santos (born March 24, 1993) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

and

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

practitioner. She is a former world No. 1 ranked

IBJJF The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is a for-profit company that hosts several of the biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tournaments in the world, including the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, World No-Gi Championship, Pan Jiu ...

competitor, currently ranked 6th among the female divisions. She is an ADCC and no gi

BJJ Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

(black belt) World Champion. As of November 8, 2022, she is #7 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings.

Early life

Dern was born in Arizona, the daughter of

Wellington "Megaton" Dias Wellington Leal Dias Santos, known by his nickname Megaton, is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioner, and 7th degree coral belt of the Gracie Humaitá jiu-jitsu association under Royler Gracie. Wellington originally trained under Rogerio Camoes ...

, a highly decorated grappling competitor himself. As a child, she grew up travelling back and forth between Arizona and her father's native Brazil. Dern is fluent in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

. She has stated that Portuguese has become her primary tongue, explaining that "my Dad and step Mom are both Brazilian. My boyfriend speaks Portuguese. I'm speaking Portuguese more than English. I still have lots of interactions in English of course. But I think in Portuguese, anything to do with fight is all in Portuguese in my mind, I dream in Portuguese." Dern began training by the age of three and practicing with her father and stepmother who is also a black belt, Luciana Tavares. Mackenzie started competing at a young age, and began competing in the adult divisions at 14 years old. She has won a world championship in every belt level as she progressed to black belt rank, which was awarded to her by her father in December 2012, three months prior to her 20th birthday. She graduated from Ironwood High School in Glendale, Arizona. 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 Black Belt level, at each of the 5 principal/highest ranking

Gi Championships - the other events are the Worlds, the

Euros The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . T ...

, the Pan Ams and the

Brazilian Nationals The Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu (lit. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship), commonly known as ''Brasileiro'', is an annual Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) tournament held in Brazil by the IBJJF. ''Brasileiro'' has been held annually since 1996, ...

. One of her biggest achievements in BJJ came when she managed to defeat

Gabi Garcia Gabrielle "Gabi" Lemos Garcia is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, 9x Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) World Champion, 11x Pan Jiu-Jitsu Champion and 4 X ADCC Submission Fighting World champion. One of the most successful competitors of all time in th ...

despite a huge weight difference, becoming one of the few women to do so.

Mixed martial arts

Legacy Fighting Alliance

Dern was scheduled to make her mixed martial arts debut against Kenia Rosas at Legacy FC 58. She won her debut by unanimous decision. Dern was scheduled to fight

Montana De La Rosa Montana De La Rosa (née Stewart) (born February 14, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). She currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background De La Rosa was born in Helena, Montana ...

at Legacy FC 61. The bout was initially scheduled to be contested at strawweight, but was later changed to catchweight, as Dern missed weight by 2.8 lbs. She won the fight by a first round submission. Dern was scheduled to fight Katherine Roy at LFA 6. Dern came in overweight for the second time in a row, missing weight by four pounds, and had to forfeit 20% of her purse. She won the fight by unanimous decision. Dern moved up to flyweight for her fourth professional fight, being scheduled to fight Mandy Polk at LFA 24. She beat Polk by a first-round rear-naked choke. After going 4–0 in her first four professional fights, Dern signed with

Invicta Fighting Championship Invicta (Latin for "unvanquished") may refer to: Companies * Invicta (company), an Italian outdoor equipment manufacturer * Invicta Bus Services, a bus operator in Melbourne, Australia * Invicta International Airlines, a UK charter airline fro ...

in November 2017.

Invicta Fighting Championship

Dern made her Invicta debut on December 8, 2017, at Invicta FC 26: Maia vs. Niedzwiedz against

Kaline Medeiros Kaline Medeiros (born January 5, 1979) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight and Strawweight division. She has fought in Bellator and Invicta FC. Mixed martial arts record , - , Win , align=center, 9–6 , Je ...

. She won the fight via an armbar in round three.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Dern made her promotional debut against

Ashley Yoder Ashley Elizabeth Yoder (born October 20, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist and competes in Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Biography Yoder was born on October 20, 1987 in Indianapolis, Indiana, United ...

on March 3, 2018, at

UFC 222 ''UFC 222: Cyborg vs. Kunitskaya'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 3, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Background A UFC ...

. She won the fight via split decision. Dern faced

Amanda Cooper Amanda Bobby Brundage (née Cooper, born October 22, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Strawweight division of the Invicta Fighting Championships (Invicta FC) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She ...

on May 12, 2018 at

UFC 224 ''UFC 224: Nunes vs. Pennington'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 12, 2018, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The UFC was initially targeting a UFC Wom ...

. At the weigh-ins, Dern weighed in at 123 pounds, 7 pounds over the strawweight non-title fight upper limit of 116 pounds. As a result, the bout proceeded at

catchweight A catchweight is a term used in combat sports, such as boxing or mixed martial arts, to describe a weight limit that does not adhere to the traditional limits for weight classes. In boxing, a catchweight is negotiated prior to weigh-ins, which are ...

and Dern was fined 30% of her purse. Dern won the fight via submission through a rear naked choke in the first round. After a hiatus from maternity leave, Dern faced

Amanda Ribas Amanda Ribas (born August 26, 1993) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Strawweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 15, 2022, she is #9 in the UFC women's strawweight ...

on October 12, 2019 at

UFC on ESPN+ 19 ''UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 19'' and ''UFC Vegas 16'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 5, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enter ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Dern was expected to face Ariane Carnelossi on April 25, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 173 ''UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 173'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 31'' and ''UFC Vegas 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 1, 2020 at the UF ...

. Carnelossi was forced to withdraw from the bout due to travel restriction. Dern was scheduled to face

Hannah Cifers Hannah Lucinda Cifers (born June 26, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She formerly fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Early career Cifers made he ...

on April 25, 2020. However, on April 9 the promotion announced that this event was postponed. The pairing eventually took place on May 30, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns. Dern won the fight with a first round kneebar - becoming the first woman to finish a fight by any form of leg lock in UFC history. This win also earned her her first ''Performance of the Night'' award. Dern faced

Randa Markos Randa Cemil Markos-Thomas (born August 10, 1985) is an Iraqi-born Canadian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Personal life Markos was ...

on September 19, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 178 ''UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 178'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 36'' and ''UFC Vegas 11'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 19, 2020 at th ...

. She won the fight via submission in the first round. This win earned her her second straight ''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

'' award. Dern faced

Virna Jandiroba Virna Carole Andrade Jandiroba (born May 30, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist (MMA), who currently competes in the strawweight division of the UFC. She is a former Invicta Fighting Championships (Invicta) Strawweight champion. As of A ...

on December 12, 2020 at

UFC 256 ''UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 12, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. Dern won the fight by unanimous decision. Dern faced

Nina Nunes Nina Ann Nunes (; born December 3, 1985) is an American former mixed martial artist who most competed in the women's flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Nunes was born and raised in Weston, Florida. Her materna ...

on April 10, 2021 at

UFC on ABC 2 ''UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ABC 2'' and ''UFC Vegas 23'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 10, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nev ...

. She won the bout via first round armbar. This win earned her a

award. Dern faced

Marina Rodriguez Marina Alcalde Rodriguez (born April 29, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist (MMA). She currently competes in the Strawweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 8, 2022, she is #5 in the UFC women's stra ...

on October 9, 2021 on

UFC Fight Night 194 ''UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 194'', ''UFC Vegas 39'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 52'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 9, 2021 at the UFC ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned her the '' Fight of the Night ''award. Dern faced

Tecia Torres Tecia Lyn Torres Moncaio (born August 16, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 24, 2022, she is #8 in the UFC women's straww ...

on April 9, 2022 at

UFC 273 ''UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 9, 2022, at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Backgroun ...

. Dern defeated Torres in a close bout by split decision. Dern faced

Yan Xiaonan Yan Xiaonan (born June 16, 1989) is a Chinese mixed martial artist (MMA). She currently competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 8, 2022, she is ranked #6 in the UFC women's strawweight ra ...

on October 1, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 211 ''UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 211'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 69'' and ''UFC Vegas 61'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 1, 2022, at the UFC Apex ...

. She lost the bout via majority decision.

Personal life

Dern was married to professional surfer Wesley Santos. They separated in 2022. In February 2019, Dern announced that she had put her MMA career on hold due to pregnancy. Her daughter, Moa, was born on June 9, 2019. According to Dern, she left Black House MMA after a reported incident concerning her original coach, Juan Gomez, where he got into a physical altercation with her husband over a disagreement about money. However, Gomez disputed money being the reason and subsequently both Dern and Gomez were asked to leave the team.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(Three times) ** Fight of the Night (One time) **Most submission wins in the UFC Strawweight division (four) **Second-most submission wins in the UFC among women (four)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 ,

, Decision (majority) , UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,

, Submission (armbar) , UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:48 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, Submission (armbar) , UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:44 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

, Submission (kneebar) , UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 ,

, Submission (armbar) , Invicta FC 26: Maia vs. Niedzwiedz , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:45 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Mandy Polk , Submission (rear-naked choke) , LFA 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:55 ,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Katherine Roy , Decision (unanimous) , LFA 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Legacy FC 61 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:25 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Kenia Rosas , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC 58 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu ...

, United States , , -

Grappling record

Records as per BJJHeroes website.

Instructor lineage

Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda → Carlos Gracie, Sr. →

Helio Gracie Helio may refer to: * Helio AU-24 Stallion * Helio (wireless carrier), a defunct American wireless communications provider (2005–2010); originally a joint venture between SK Telecom and EarthLink, purchased by Virgin Mobile USA in 2008 * ...

→

Royler Gracie Royler Gracie (born December 6, 1965) is a Brazilian-American retired mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. Gracie ran the Gracie Humaitá school in Rio de Janeiro for many years under his father Helio's dir ...

→

→ Mackenzie Dern

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dern, Mackenzie 1993 births Living people Sportspeople from Phoenix, Arizona American sportspeople of Brazilian descent American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Mixed martial artists from Arizona American female mixed martial artists Strawweight mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship medalists Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champions (women) World No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship medalists 21st-century American women