Waiting and Watching Mom in the Weightroom
Mackenzie Dern balances her intense training regimen with motherhood. Many times a trip to the gym becomes a version of “take your daughter to work day.” While juggling these two responsibilities can be challenging, mother-daughter time ranks among the most enjoyable aspects of her life, even if her daughter, sometimes has different ideas about what constitutes fun.
“Oftentimes, during my all-day training schedule, it can wear on a child,” Dern explains. “But she’ll run around, play on the mats, do gymnastics, and hit the bag. Sometimes she doesn’t want to go and says, ‘Oh, come on.’”
To keep her daughter smiling, Dern sometimes resorts to playing a movie on her laptop. At the same time, Dern slips in her earbuds and hits the weights.
Dern relies heavily on lower-body exercises to maximize her grappling strength on the mats while also helping to counteract the years of wear and tear she has faced. “I’ve gone through so many injuries from takedowns, and my knees sometimes get, you know, ripped to the side,” she shares. “The goal is always to protect and support my joints and back to ensure a longer career.”
Dedicated to her weight training, Dern hits the gym at least six times a week. With Jamaican singer Beam in her earbuds, she performs a variety of exercises, including cleans, deadlifts, and squats, complemented by accessory movements like extensions and hip thrusts. She also boxes three times a week and trains on the BJJ mats for another three sessions.
Recovery is crucial for Dern. Over the course of her career, her injury list includes a broken nose and several ACL and MCL tears. She utilizes post-training techniques such as compression boots and visits to Huntington Beach’s Repair Sports Institute. “They take care of me after training, even before fights, addressing any little issues I feel,” she notes.
For Dern, weightlifting has become the cornerstone of maintaining her health and protecting herself from injuries. “Weightlifting is the one thing I do constantly because it helps me. Especially when I start doing MMA, and they’re twisting my arms and legs. I need that protection,” she explains. “So whenever I finish a camp or fight, weightlifting is the first thing I return to.”
Motherhood then MMA for Mackenzie Dern
Mackenzie Dern has been recognized as one of the elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts in the sport since she began competing internationally in 2012. She has won gold in nearly every major BJJ tournament, including multiple championships in the IBJJF, as well as titles at the World Pro and ADCC.
She’s also the daughter of one of BJJ’s most influential practitioners, Wellington “Megaton” Dias. Dern recalls telling her father about her decision to challenge herself by stepping into MMA. “He didn’t want me to go at all—he was against it,” she admits. “He said, ‘No, you’re too pretty. You shouldn’t get punched in the face. That’s for guys.’ So it was against my dad’s will. But now he loves it and supports me.”
Now, it’s her little girl who may one day want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. For now, after two straight wins, Moa is focusing on becoming a mini hype machine. And Dern couldn’t be happier. “She tells me, ‘Mom, you need to train every day because then you’re going to fight for the belt, win lots of belts, and become a champion!’”
Balancing her career with motherhood has been a rewarding challenge for Dern. “She’s starting to understand the relationship between sacrifice and reward,” Dern explains. “Sometimes she says, ‘We have to go to training.’”
Splitting her time between chasing a UFC championship and chasing after Moa down the hallway is a challenge Dern happily accepts. Despite the long days and nights and the demanding grind of being a UFC fighter, moments with Moa are cherished, such as their time together in Abu Dhabi after her 2024 win over Lupita Godinez or playing beauty parlor in the living room after a tough workout. Motherhood remains the greatest title for Dern.
“I understand that when you’re home and tired, and she wants to play, you have to be present,” she says. “You find yourself playing salon or beauty while trying to relax, and she’s painting your whole face. Those moments are truly the best, and they’re what I try to cherish.”
