Who is Mackenzie Dern?

Mackenzie Dern is one of the top contenders in the UFC's women's division right now. Currently ranked 6th in the women's strawweight division, Dern has a stellar background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Dern turned pro in 2016, and since then has had an active career in mixed martial arts. Moreover, unlike other fighters, there is no moniker or nickname associated with Dern.

Mackenzie Dern’s Early Life

Born in Arizona, Mackenzie Dern did most of her growing up in her father's native country of Brazil. However, she did go back and forth to both these places, but back in Brazil, she'd started her martial arts training under her father and her stepmother, who's also a BJJ black belt. Due to her being born in the United States and her father's Brazilian roots, Dern is fluent in both English and Portuguese.

Mackenzie Dern's decision to dive into mixed martial arts is not a surprising thing to see given that her father world a world-class BJJ competitor in his younger days. As such, she also achieved a lot of success in the same discipline before venturing into the world of MMA and finally making her climb in the ranks amongst the UFC's best.

Mackenzie Dern’s Husband and Children

As cool as it is to be a fighter, Mackenzie Dern married Wesley Santos, who has an exciting profession of his own, a professional surfer. However, the couple decided to part ways in 2022, and their divorce became a highly publicized subject. The reason behind their separation, according to the UFC fighter, was behavioral misconduct and assault on her husband's part.

Nevertheless, they do have a daughter named Moa, who was born in 2019. The divorce battle between the UFC star and her ex-husband saw their daughter getting caught in the crossfire. There was a custody battle for Moa, as fortunately for the child, Dern and Santos were both given joint custody, but Strawweight Star was ordered to pay a monthly child support amount of over $4,000 and $10,000 for her ex-husband's court fees.

Mackenzie Dern’s Net Worth in 2025

Mackenzie Dern has certainly grown as a fighter and is comparatively popular among UFC fans. Her payout for each fight varies depending on the occasion and the opponent, but since 2022, Dern has been earning around the $65-$155,000 range per fight. Moreover, the 31-year-old's overall career earnings so far reporting range around the $336,000 mark.

Meanwhile, the reports of her net worth go to show that she has more income avenues than just fighting in the UFC. As of 2024, Mackenzie Dern's net worth is estimated to be around $1,000,000. Also, in the UFC, her base salary now ranges around $80,000.

Mackenzie Dern’s Career Timeline

As mentioned already, there was no doubt that Mackenzie Dern would be touching the skies and making a name for herself in the martial arts with a black father to oversee her training. Despite having yet to get her hands on UFC gold, the 31-year-old has a lot of achievements on her resume.

Here's a look at some of Mackenzie Dern's career accolades:

• ADCC World Champion - Gold


• ADCC North American Champion - Gold


• World Jiu-Jitsu Champion - 2x Gold


• Nogi World Jiu-Jitsu Champion - 2x Gold


• European Champion - 3x Gold


• Asian Open Championship - 6x Gold


• World Cup (Abu Dhabi) - 3x Gold


• Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship - Gold


• Brazilian National Championship - 2x Gold

Mackenzie Dern’s Partnerships and Endorsements

Mackenzie Dern currently has endorsement and sponsorship deals with War Tribe, Zebra, My Protein, Hayabusa, KillCliff, Murf Electric Bikes, Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship, Kingz Kimonos, Paradigm Sports, San Diego Pardes, MIKOH. As she's grown in popularity, Mackenzie Dern could have other sponsorships as well, but those details aren't available in the public domain according to certain reports.

Mackenzie Dern’s Career Stats and Record

Mackenzie Dern currently boasts an MMA record of 14 wins at the expense of 5 losses. Having started her UFC career in 2018, the 31-year-old strawweight has competed in a total of 15 UFC fights, registering 10 wins and suffering all of her MMA defeats in Dana White's promotion. Dern has beaten several top contenders but is yet to get the better of a former UFC champion.

Here are some accolades Mackenzie Dern has achieved in the UFC so far:

• 3x Performance of the Night


• 3x Fight of the Night


• Most wins by submission in UFC strawweight division - 4


• Second-most submission wins in UFC Women's history - 4

Mackenzie Dern’s Social Media Accounts