MACKENZIE DERN

Mackenzie Dern is one of the most decorated women's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors of her generation and one of the highest-profile BJJ-to-MMA transitions of the 2010s. Born in 1993 in Phoenix, Arizona to Wellington 'Megaton' Dias (a Brazilian BJJ black belt who emigrated to the United States in the 1980s), Mackenzie was trained in BJJ from early childhood and competed at the highest international levels before her transition to MMA.

Dern's BJJ resume includes multiple IBJJF World Championships at brown and black belt, an ADCC bronze medal in 2017, and consistent podium placement at the elite women's lightweight and middleweight divisions. Her competitive style emphasizes the modern sport BJJ vocabulary — aggressive closed guard, submission hunting, and the technical sophistication that elite IBJJF competition demands. Her competitive credentials made her one of the most-anticipated BJJ-to-MMA transitions when she signed with the UFC in 2018.

Dern's MMA career has been more mixed than her pure BJJ career suggested it might be. Her grappling-first style has produced highlight-reel submissions against opponents who engage her on the ground, but the modern UFC strawweight division — dominated by strikers and wrestlers — has not always allowed her to play to her grappling strengths. As of 2026 Dern remains a top-ten ranked strawweight contender and continues to represent the BJJ-to-MMA crossover pathway that competitors like Demian Maia and Ronda Rousey pioneered. Her commercial visibility has also contributed substantially to women's BJJ and women's MMA growth over the 2020s.