You’re going to want to remember Mackenzie Dern’s name! The Brazilian jiu-jitsu master and mixed martial artist is slated to become the next Ronda Rousey, if not ‘bigger!’ Her impressive championships and fighting skills have earned her the highest of praise in her specialties, and we’re filling you in on everything you need to know about the 23-year-old titan!
Mackenzie Dern, 23, is becoming a familiar face and a known name in MMA more than ever right now. The jiu-jitsu prodigy, who is world champion, is currently ranked the No. 1 IBJJF jiu-jitsu practitioner in the world. She rose to extreme stardom when she pulled out a victory against Kenia Rosas at Legacy FC 58. Now she’s said to be the next Ronda Rousey, 29, and the world is obsessed with the comparison. Here’s everything you need to know about the fighter who’s making waves in the professional fighting scene and on social media!
1. Mackenzie was born in Phoenix, Arizona and comes from a family of iconic fighters!
Mackenzie holds a black belt under her father, the legendary Wellington “Megaton” Dias, one of the top jiu-jitsu black belts in the world. Her stepmother, Luciana Tavares, also holds a black belt. She trained with the two of them since the age of three! She started to compete at the age of 14 in jiu-jitsu adult divisions.
2. She’s got quite the reputation, and her peers think very highly of her.
Mackenzie’s teammate, Benson Henderson, a former UFC champ recently praised her August 8. “She will be bigger than Ronda Rousey before Ronda Rousey lost,” he told The MMA Hour. “She’s going to be huge. She’s going to be big. She has an excellent work ethic.” He went on, “Go look her up, she is a multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion. She’s won ADCC. She’s won Abu Dhabi. She’s won Worlds. She’s the current No. 1 ranked female jiu-jitsu practitioner on the planet. She has an amazing work ethic. She’s an amazing athlete. She definitely needs to work on her MMA skills, but her ground game is phenomenal. Any woman on the planet goes to the ground with Mackenzie and Mackenzie is going to tap her, or dominate her like she did her first opponent.” WOW!
Ronda Rousey — PICS
3. She trains, HARD!
Although her insane accomplishments speak for themselves, Mackenzie displays a lot of her training on her Instagram, proving she really prepares for her sport. She posts videos of grueling workouts and sweat sessions that look incredibly difficult. Check out this pic below where she gets down and dirty, flipping extremely heavy tires! And there’s plenty more videos and photos where that one came from too, just scroll through her awesome Insta page.
4. Fighting isn’t her only talent….
She loves the beach, and she’s an awesome dancer! The athlete shows us she’s a jack of all trades on her Insta with endless bikini pics and dancing videos. Mackenzie looks like she masters a lot more than her fighting craft, with colorful two-pieces and sick moves!
5. Mackenzie’s mastered the selfie and she’s a total animal lover!
What can’t she do at this point? The brunette beauty flaunts her gorgeous looks in a series of selfies throughout her Instagram and she’s a knockout! Her animals even get in on all the action too. She posts a lot of photos with adorable dogs and a cute bunny. AW!
HollywoodLifers, would you like to see a match between Mackenzie and Ronda in the future? Tell us in the comments below!
