What degree of black belt is Mackenzie Dern?

Professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Mackenzie Lynne Dern Santos is an American-Brazilian. She is currently ranked seventh in the UFC women's strawweight rankings as of November 2023.

Dern is now ranked sixth among female competitors in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), where she was once classified as the world's top competitor. She is a world champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu no-gi (black belt) and the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC).

At Legacy FC 58, Dern was supposed to make her mixed martial arts debut against Kenia Rosas. She won her debut with a unanimous decision. At Legacy FC 61, Dern was supposed to face Montana De La Rosa. Due to Dern's 2.8-pound weight inaccuracy, the fight was originally slated to be contested at strawweight instead of catchweight. She won the fight via first-round submission.

On December 8, 2017, Dern made her Invicta debut against Kaline Medeiros at Invicta FC 26: Maia vs. Niedzwiedz. She prevailed by armbar in the third round. In March 2018, Dern defeated Ashley Yoder in a split decision at UFC 22, her promotional debut. In May 2023, Dern was scheduled to face Angela Hill at the UFC on ABC 4 in her most recent bout. Instead, the bout was pushed back one week to UFC Fight Night 223. Her victory came from a unanimous decision. At UFC 295 on November 11, 2023, Dern will fight Jessica Andrade, the former strawweight champion of the UFC.

Mackenzie Dern’s Black Belt

Mackenzie Dern trained under Wellington "Megaton" Dias and holds a third-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Dern started training when she was three years old, with her seventh-degree coral belt father, Wellington "Megaton" Dias, and her black-belt stepmother, Luciana Tavares. At the age of 14, Mackenzie started participating in the adult divisions, having started at a young age.

Three months before turning twenty, in December 2012, her father handed her a black belt, which she earned after winning world championships in every belt level. Mackenzie is the only female Jiu-Jitsu competitor to have won gold medals at the Black Belt level at each of the five principal/highest ranking IBJJF Gi Championships; the other events are the Worlds, the Euros, the Pan Ams, and the Brazilian Nationals.

This is due to her six first-place finishes at the Asian Open. Being one of the few women to defeat Gabi Garcia despite a significant weight disparity was one of her greatest BJJ victories.

Who is Mackenzie Dern’s father?

Mackenzie Dern’s father, Megaton, whose real name is Wellington Leal Dias Santos, is a 7th-degree coral belt in the Gracie Humaitá jiu-jitsu association, under Royler Gracie. He practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ).

Wellington had his jiu-jitsu training from Rogerio Camoes at first, then from the Gracie Humaitá school in Rio de Janeiro. Wellington was eighteen when he earned his black belt. Dias is known by the moniker "Megaton" because of his judo background and tendency to throw rivals upward, like the detonation of a nuclear bomb. Back in 2007, SubFighter picked "Megaton" as the top nickname in mixed martial arts.