All We Know About Mackenzie Dern’s Parents, Family, and Background

Mark your calendars, folks! Strawweight contender and heartthrob Mackenzie Dern will be starting off her 2025 campaign with a fight at UFC Vegas 101. In taking on her old foe Amanda Ribas, the 6th-ranked fighter, she will try and get even with her rival in their rematch after dropping the ball in their first encounter. But that’s not what this article is about, though. Since Dern is the fighter in focus here, let’s get to know her on a personal note.

For many MMA fighters, getting into the UFC is a distant dream, since finding high-level coaches and a place to train is a very hard task for most fighters. However, that wasn’t a problem for Mackenzie Dern because she got all the help she needed growing up, from her family of martial artists. Let’s take a closer look.

All we know about Mackenzie Dern’s parents, family, and background

Mackenzie Dern, born in the state of Arizona, not only carries her father’s Brazilian heritage, but she also follows in her father’s footsteps. Yes, Dern’s father, Wellington ‘Megaton’ Dias, is a highly respected and decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and one of the few coral belts out there. According to certain reports, her father and her stepmother, who’s reportedly a black belt in BJJ, gave her the push to pursue martial arts at a very early age.

While information about Mackenzie Dern’s mother is scarce in the public domain, her father’s exploits in BJJ have been well recorded. In fact, Wellington Dias is a 4-time Pan American Champion and earned three bronze medals and a silver medal in the BJJ World Championship. Meanwhile, there’s no word on whether Dern has any siblings or not.

Dern’s extensive background in grappling and jiu-jitsu has surely helped her in her MMA career, as all of her finishes have come via submissions. But let’s turn over and take a look at how it all started for the strawweight star.

Mackenzie Dern’s ethnicity, nationality, and early life

Having been born in the United States, Mackenzie Dern is an American citizen, but because of her father’s roots, she’s also a Brazilian national. She started her martial arts training when she was just three years old, and that brought her dividends in a big way. Dern amassed countless titles, both at the national and the international level. For context, the UFC strawweight star is a former ADCC World Champion, 3-time European Champion, 6-time Asian Open Champion, and a 2-time Brazilian National Champion, among many others.

However, when Mackenzie Dern chose to venture into MMA, her father didn’t necessarily want to witness his daughter getting punched and kicked. Because of that, he encouraged her to take on modeling. Dern told UFC.com that even she doesn’t want her daughter, Moa, to fight either, but wouldn’t stop her if she wanted to pursue it. “Honestly, I don’t know if I will be ready to see my daughter get punched in the face when she’s older. If she decides to be an MMA Fighter, I’ll support her no matter what,” said Dern.

Shifting the attention to her UFC run, Mackenzie Dern desperately needs to win if she wants to further her title ambitions. She’s fought Amanda Ribas before and her fans hope that she’ll be able to manage her fellow Brazilian counterpart better this time out.