Mackenzie Dern is a jiu-jitsu superstar, UFC fighter, and soon-to-be mom. The athlete announced her pregnancy with her partner, professional surfer Wesley Santos, and in an interview with MMA Fighting, she revealed that we may see her back in the cage before we know it.
In January, Dern said that she was originally hoping to return to the Octagon this month, but of course, that was before she knew she was five months pregnant. With the baby due in May, Dern is hoping to get back to fighting in October. In the meantime, she and Santos are doing some traveling and planning to visit Australia and Bali.
Dern says that her pregnancy has motivated her even further to become successful in the cage and that she’s grateful for her fans’ support. She also said, however, that she feels she “lost many fans” when she posted the picture with Santos announcing her pregnancy.
While there are other UFC fighters who are mothers, none of them so far have had kids before winning the coveted championship belt. Dern says she didn’t know this before her interview with MMA Fighting, but now says, “I have another goal now: be the first mother to win a championship belt in the UFC.”
Dern is currently undefeated in MMA, with two UFC fights and seven fights total in her career.
