Mackenzie Dern says the emotional toll of her divorce is still looming ahead of her UFC 295 fight against Jessica Andrade.
Dern revealed before her main event against Angela Hill earlier this year that she got divorced. Although she said it was a tough time for her, she had arguably the best performance of her career as she dominated Hill for all five rounds to win a clear-cut decision.
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Now, ahead of her UFC 295 fight against Jessica Andrade, Dern says she’s still dealing with the impact of the divorce months later and revealed most of her pay for this fight is going to her ex-husband due to the divorce.
Mackenzie Dern explains impact of divorce
“I realized we always have problems. Just the pressure. The last one I went through the divorce. The divorce is final but you don’t realize how much aftermath there is to it. Literally, this whole fight is still paying my ex,” Dern said at UFC 295 media day. “It’s crazy, I have to get punched in the face and you work so hard and you do all this and you have to like pay that much of something. Money’s something, I’ll fight here, I’ll get it, whatever. Winning or losing, everything’s going to be taken care of. I’ll make more and stuff like that but it’s just problems.
“RVCA closed so I basically made my own home gym. You just keep investing in your dream and hope that it works. I’m trying to make everything private at home because you’re just very vulnerable when everyone’s seeing your training. I’m a world champion in jiu-jitsu but people see me in the gym and I’m crying, I’m frustrated because I feel I should be better at something. I feel like I should be able to get it and I don’t get it. It’s not working. There’s injuries and there’s a ton of stuff that keeps going on and you’re like I just want to be able to train and get better. I don’t know. In the fight it comes out. It all works out.”
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Although Mackenzie Dern says the divorce is still impacting she is more than ready to face Jessica Andrade on Saturday night. She also enters the fight as the betting favorite, as oddsmakers expect Andrade’s losing streak to continue at Madison Square Garden.
