Makenzie Dern, more commonly spelled Mackenzie Dern, was born on March 24, 1993, in Phoenix, Arizona. I find the foundation of her fighting career in the family academy where she began Brazilian jiu jitsu as a young child. She became a decorated grappler before entering mixed martial arts, carrying a highly developed ground game into a sport that demanded additional skills.
Her father is Wellington Dias, known as Megaton. Her stepmother, Luciana Dias, is also a jiu jitsu black belt. Their involvement gave Dern’s earliest training a family setting, but the titles she later won were her own competitive results. The mats may have been familiar territory; the opponents still had to be beaten.
Megaton and the Academy Background
Wellington Leal Dias Santos became an established practitioner, instructor, and longtime competitor. His academy work in Arizona placed him at the center of Dern’s early training. She began around age three and later received her black belt from him in December 2012. I see that promotion as a defined transition after years of development, rather than simply an inherited status.
Luciana, sometimes called Luka, helped raise and train Dern within the academy environment. She is her stepmother, not automatically her biological mother. The latter is not clearly named in the account. Keeping the relationship precise preserves Luciana’s important role without merging two different family positions.
Elite Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Dern reached the highest level of competitive grappling, winning major gi and no gi titles and becoming a former world number one IBJJF competitor. Her achievements included ADCC gold in 2015 and success across major championships during the 2014 to 2016 period. I find those results essential because her MMA reputation began with a substantial competitive record already behind her.
Gi and no gi competition provided different grappling settings, while ADCC offered another major test of submission skill. The range of titles demonstrates more than familiarity with one tournament. It also explains why opponents in mixed martial arts would have to treat her ground game as a central concern rather than a secondary part of her approach.
Entering Mixed Martial Arts
Dern moved into professional MMA in 2016, competing through the Legacy period and later Invicta before reaching the UFC. The change required working beyond the rules of a grappling match. I would describe it as a sporting transition, with an elite skill set providing a base while striking, cage work, and broader fight strategy entered the picture.
She made her UFC debut against Ashley Yoder on March 3, 2018, winning by split decision. That result matters because it was not a submission finish. Her grappling identity was strong, but the first UFC victory showed the competition could also be decided over the full distance. Subsequent fights brought submission wins and performance recognition.
Motherhood and a Return to Competition
Dern’s daughter, Moa Dern Santos, was born in June 2019. Moa’s father is Wesley Santos, a professional surfer and Dern’s former husband. The birth became a major personal milestone within the fighting timeline, with maternity leave followed by a return to competition. I see motherhood and sport as two continuing parts of her life rather than one canceling the other.
Moa has appeared in family posts and photographs around fights. Those images place the daughter near her mother’s professional world without making her a competitor. Dern has spoken about balancing parenting and training, while the public outline does not establish every childcare routine or private arrangement. The relationship is clear; the daily details remain the family’s own.
Submission Success in the UFC
After returning, Dern continued to develop a record associated with submissions and bonuses. Her kneebar finish became a notable milestone among women in the UFC, showing how her grappling repertoire extended beyond the most familiar arm and neck attacks. I find that particular result useful in describing a style often summarized too broadly as simply good on the ground.
On January 11, 2025, she submitted Amanda Ribas with an armbar in their rematch at UFC Vegas 101. The main event victory earned Performance of the Night recognition and a $50,000 bonus. It is a specific result within the supplied career period, rather than a claim about every later ranking or title opportunity that may have followed.
Family Relationships Beyond Training
Wesley remains part of the family outline as Moa’s father, while Antonio Trocoli has been identified as Dern’s partner in later accounts. The description of his marital status with Dern varies. Trocoli is also a fighter, giving the relationship another connection with the sport.
The available account includes conflicting personal and legal claims involving adults in that wider setting. I keep them outside the athletic biography rather than turn an unadjudicated allegation into a family fact. Dern’s established relationships, daughter, and competitive results already provide a substantial profile without borrowing sensational detail.
Two Cultural and Sporting Settings
Dern grew up between Arizona and Brazil and speaks English and Portuguese. That background connects the American birthplace with the Brazilian grappling tradition in which her father trained and competed. I find the bilingual and family context more informative than treating her career as belonging to only one national setting.
Her personal net worth is not firmly established. Fight bonuses are identifiable earnings for particular events, while third party estimates of wealth are another matter. The clearest professional achievements remain black belt promotion, major grappling titles, entry into the UFC, and named fight results. Those milestones supply the measure of the sporting career described here.
FAQ
Is Makenzie Dern the same fighter as Mackenzie Dern?
Yes. Mackenzie is the common professional spelling of the athlete’s name. The identity is clear from her 1993 Phoenix birth, father Megaton Dias, grappling titles, and UFC career. I retain the requested spelling in the title while making the connection explicit in the article.
Who trained her as a child?
Her father, Wellington Megaton Dias, and stepmother Luciana were central to her early jiu jitsu training. She began around age three and received her black belt from her father in December 2012. The family academy setting preceded her international grappling success and later MMA transition.
What happened in the Amanda Ribas rematch?
Dern won by armbar submission on January 11, 2025, at UFC Vegas 101. The victory came in the main event and brought Performance of the Night recognition. I describe that dated result separately from uncertain future matchups or a changing ranking position.
