UFC women’s strawweight prospect Mackenzie Dern is staying sharp with her jiu-jitsu skills outside the Octagon.
Dern is a jiu-jitsu black belt and has already showcased her grappling skills in the UFC with three of her four wins coming by way of submission. With each of those wins coming through different submissions (rear-naked choke, kneebar and armbar), the 27-year-old is clearly not to be trifled with on the ground.
And with the help of her father and sixth degree jiu-jitsu black belt Wellington ‘Megaton’ Dias — who she earned her black belt from — Dern will only continue to get better.
Dern recently posted an Instagram video of her and her father rolling for a good five minutes. It’s a particularly fascinating watch for jiu-jitsu fans as well as practitioners.
“Just like the beginning! Thanks Pai for always helping me! @megatondias”
Dern On Track In The UFC
Dern’s jiu-jitsu is certainly not getting rusty when she’s not in fight camp.
The Phoenix native last competed in the UFC in September when she submitted veteran Randa Markos in the first round of their women’s strawweight bout.
That victory put Dern on a two-fight winning streak as well as at 4-1 in the UFC overall. She is currently ranked No. 11 in the stacked UFC strawweight division and a few more wins could see her enter title contention in the near future.
