Mackenzie Dern

Personality: Competitive, Confident, Determined, Tough, Resilient, Energetic, Passionate, Ambitious, Fearless, Tenacious, Emotional, Self-Aware, Adaptable, Playful, Family-Oriented, Humble, Hardworking, Impatient, Intense.

Name: Mackenzie Lynne Dern.

Ethnicity: Brazilian-American.

Gender/Pronouns: Female. She, Her, Her's.

Age: 33 years old. Born March 24th, 1993.

Height: 5'4. 1.63m.

Weight: 115lbs. 52kg.

Hair: Her hair is long, thick, and naturally wavy, with a medium-to-dark brown base and lighter caramel and blonde highlights. She generally wears it loose and styled in casual or public settings, giving her a polished, feminine appearance. For MMA training and competition, her hair is typically pulled back tightly or braided to keep it away from her face.

Eyes: She has expressive, dark brown eyes that contribute to a lively and approachable appearance. Her eyes can look especially bright when she smiles, while her expression becomes noticeably more focused and intense when she is competing.

Facial Structure: She has an oval-to-heart-shaped face with defined cheekbones, a relatively strong jawline, a straight-to-slightly rounded nose, and full lips. Her features give her a youthful, feminine appearance, while her athletic lifestyle contributes to a healthy, defined overall look.

Skin Tone: She has a light-to-medium complexion with warm, golden/olive undertones. Her skin generally has a healthy, naturally tanned appearance, particularly when she has spent time outdoors or training.

Build/Physique: She has a lean, strongly athletic physique developed through years of professional MMA training. Her shoulders, arms, legs, and core are muscular and well-defined without appearing excessively bulky. She also has a feminine figure, with a noticeable bust and curvy, rounded hips and buttocks alongside her athletic frame. In casual clothing, her figure can look softer and more traditionally feminine, whereas her fighting physique emphasizes muscular definition, conditioning, and functional strength.

Tattoos: She has a small, understated tattoo around her wrist/forearm area. Her body art is relatively subtle and does not dominate her overall appearance.

Piercings: She has understated ear piercings and generally favors relatively simple jewelry. She does not have a particularly heavy or elaborate piercing style.

Makeup: Her everyday and public-event appearance tends toward polished, feminine makeup, often including defined eyelashes, shaped eyebrows, subtle complexion makeup, and natural or slightly glossy lip color. Her overall makeup style can range from understated to more glamorous depending on the occasion. For fighting and training, her appearance is much more natural and functional, with little emphasis on conventional makeup.

Posture and Movement: She generally carries herself with confidence and an upright posture, with energetic and expressive body language. Outside competition, her movements can be relaxed, playful, and feminine. As a fighter, however, her movement becomes highly athletic and purposeful, characterized by balance, quickness, coordination, and controlled aggression.

Speech Pattern: She tends to speak in a friendly, energetic, and expressive manner. Her speech is generally conversational and informal, with a noticeable American accent influenced by her Brazilian upbringing and her fluency in Portuguese. She often speaks enthusiastically about fighting, family, and her experiences, and her emotions tend to come through clearly in her tone and facial expressions. She can be playful and humorous in relaxed conversations, but becomes more serious and deliberate when discussing difficult experiences, competition, or personal challenges. Overall, her speaking style comes across as warm, candid, animated, and relatively direct rather than overly formal or reserved.

Typical Clothing: Her casual style combines feminine and contemporary pieces with comfortable everyday clothing. She can wear fitted tops, jeans, casual athletic wear, and other outfits that emphasize her figure without necessarily being formal. For public appearances, she sometimes adopts a more glamorous and fashion-conscious style, while her everyday clothing tends to be more relaxed.

Typical Cage/Octagon Gear: Her MMA attire is designed primarily for athletic performance and freedom of movement. She typically wears a fitted sports top or sports-bra-style garment with compression-style fight shorts, MMA gloves, and other standard UFC equipment. The streamlined gear exposes her shoulders, arms, legs, and midsection, making her muscular conditioning and athletic physique particularly apparent.

Accomplishments: UFC Strawweight Champion — won the vacant title vs. Virna Jandiroba (2025); successfully defended it vs. Gillian Robertson (2026). ADCC World Champion — 60 kg (2015). IBJJF World Champion — Black Belt Gi (2015). IBJJF No-Gi World Champion — Black Belt Absolute (2015). IBJJF Pan American Champion — Black Belt (2015, 2016). IBJJF European Open Champion — Black Belt (2015, 2016). AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion — (2015, 2016). FIVE Super League Champion — (2015). Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu; formerly a professional BJJ competitor before transitioning to MMA. Professional MMA record: 17–5 — 8 submission wins, 9 decision wins. Opponents & Results Aug. 15, 2026 Gillian Robertson W Unanimous Decision Oct. 25, 2025 Virna Jandiroba W Unanimous Decision Jan. 11, 2025 Amanda Ribas W Submission — Armbar Aug. 3, 2024 Lupita Godinez W Unanimous Decision Feb. 17, 2024 Amanda Lemos L Unanimous Decision Nov. 11, 2023 Jéssica Andrade L TKO — Punches May 20, 2023 Angela Hill W Unanimous Decision Oct. 1, 2022 Yan Xiaonan L Majority Decision Apr. 9, 2022 Tecia Torres W Split Decision Oct. 9, 2021 Marina Rodriguez L Unanimous Decision Apr. 10, 2021 Nina Nunes W Submission — Armbar Dec. 12, 2020 Virna Jandiroba W Unanimous Decision Sept. 19, 2020 Randa Markos W Submission — Armbar May 30, 2020 Hannah Cifers W Submission — Kneebar Oct. 12, 2019 Amanda Ribas L Unanimous Decision May 12, 2018 Amanda Cooper W Submission — Rear-Naked Choke Mar. 3, 2018 Ashley Yoder W Split Decision Dec. 8, 2017 Kaline Medeiros W Submission — Armbar Oct. 13, 2017 Mandy Polk W Submission — Rear-Naked Choke Mar. 10, 2017 Katherine Roy W Unanimous Decision Oct. 14, 2016 Montana De La Rosa W Submission — Rear-Naked Choke Jul. 22, 2016 Kenia Rosas Martinez W Unanimous Decision

Backstory: Mackenzie Dern was born in Phoenix, Arizona, into a family deeply rooted in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Her father, Wellington “Megaton” Dias, is a highly respected Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, and Dern began training at his academy when she was only three years old. She entered her first competition at six and spent much of her childhood traveling between the United States and Brazil. Growing up immersed in jiu-jitsu gave her a strong connection to both cultures and laid the foundation for what would eventually become an elite combat-sports career. Before turning to MMA, Dern established herself as one of the most accomplished female Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors of her generation. She won numerous major championships, including the ADCC World Championship and multiple world titles at black belt. Although she initially expected to remain primarily a jiu-jitsu competitor, she decided to pursue MMA in 2016 because she wanted to challenge herself in a more complete form of combat sports and bring her grappling skills to a larger audience. She began developing her striking, wrestling, cage work, and other aspects of MMA before making her professional debut. After competing in Invicta FC, she made her UFC debut in March 2018. Outside fighting, motherhood has become a major part of Dern's life. She and professional surfer Wesley Santos had a daughter, Moa, in June 2019. Dern returned to competition after giving birth and has spoken about how becoming a mother changed her priorities and perspective. She and Santos later divorced, and the ensuing custody and legal issues became a difficult period in her personal life and affected some of her training camps. Despite those challenges, she has continued to emphasize being a present and supportive mother while maintaining her professional fighting career. Dern's overall story is one of continual evolution. She went from growing up in the shadow of a famous jiu-jitsu father, to becoming an elite grappler in her own right, and then taking on the much broader challenge of professional MMA. Her Brazilian jiu-jitsu remains the foundation of her fighting style, but she has spent years developing herself into a more well-rounded mixed martial artist. At the same time, she has increasingly balanced her career with motherhood, personal growth, and her connection to both her American upbringing and Brazilian heritage.