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Mackenzie Dern is ready to take on Marina Rodriguez this weekend in her first UFC main event slot.
Ahead of her fight at UFC Vegas 39, Dern recently spoke to Damon Martin of MMA Fighting on a variety of topics, including her pregnancy in 2019.
Mackenzie Dern lost followers on social media and some of her sponsors after announcing her pregnancy. However the 28-year old claims she was confident of staying active as a fighter after having her child.
According to Dern, growing up with her father, who was a jiu-jitsu fighter, prepared her for a family life while being an active fighter. While Dern understands losing sponsorship during her pregnancy, she believes her sponsors could be regretting the decision now.
"Before I got pregnant, I knew that I would be active. And while being a mom and stuff like that. Just because I grew up watching my dad so I always knew that what I learned from him was so important in my life. Like okay, watching him win and lose and make weight and all the sacrifices he did, that's something I definitely wanted to pass for my kids. And I didn't wanna have kids after I retired. So, in sponsors, hey it's business you know, it's money, I understand. Not gonna be in the media, not gonna be those things. But now I think they are probably like, 'Oh, maybe we shouldn't have done that.'"
Watch Mackenzie Dern's interview with MMA Fighting below:
When Mackenzie Dern lost 50k followers
According to Mackenzie Dern, she lost 50,000 followers on Instagram immediately after announcing her pregnancy in February 2019. Dern wasn't too concerned about the fans she had lost as she gained back ones which were loyal. In a Yahoo article, Mackenzie Dern wrote:
"I won two UFC fights before I became pregnant. The pregnancy was such a surprise and such a blessing, but when I announced it in February 2019, I lost 50,000 followers on Instagram instantly. Obviously, there were people following me who were just thinking, 'Oh, she’s a hot girl that fights.' And the assumption is that if you get pregnant, you’re not coming back—or if you do, you’re going to be soft inside. Fans are very important for us, because that’s how we sell our fights. But in the end, I’m glad I lost them. Now I have real fans who appreciate all my phases. I gained those 50,000 followers back—and then some."
