Mackenzie Dern

Mackenzie Lynne Dern is an American mixed martial artist of Brazilian heritage who competes in the strawweight division of the UFC.

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Dern began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at age three under her father, Wellington "Megaton" Dias, a respected black belt instructor, splitting her upbringing between the United States and Brazil. She rose through the junior and adult competitive ranks as a teenager before earning her black belt just before turning twenty. After building one of the most decorated resumes in grappling, she transitioned to professional mixed martial arts in 2016 and signed with the UFC two years later. Over her career she has trained and competed out of camps including Black House MMA and Checkmat.

Dern's grappling credentials are central to her identity as a fighter. A black belt under Wellington Dias in a lineage tracing through Royler Gracie to Helio and Carlos Gracie, she has won gold at the IBJJF World Championship at black belt in both gi and no-gi competition, an ADCC World Championship title, and Pan American and European titles, having won a world title at every belt level on her way to black belt.

That pedigree defines her approach inside the cage. Dern is a submission specialist who looks to close distance and finish fights on the mat with armbars, chokes, and leg locks, while also developing a striking game built around leg kicks and a sharp right hand to set up her offense. She is best known for delivering the first leg-lock finish by a woman in UFC history, submitting Hannah Cifers with a kneebar.

Among her notable UFC victories are submission wins over Randa Markos and Amanda Ribas, a hard-fought decision over Angela Hill, and a unanimous-decision win over Virna Jandiroba that earned her the vacant UFC women's strawweight championship, capping her long climb to UFC gold.

Regarded as one of the most credentialed grapplers ever to enter the Octagon, Dern stands as a standard-bearer for jiu-jitsu-based offense in women's MMA, translating a legendary competitive BJJ career into a UFC championship reign.