Before her October fight with Yan Xiaonan last year, Mackenzie Dern was in the midst of divorce proceedings. Dern lost the battle by majority decision, but she has a chance to redeem herself this weekend at UFC Vegas 73 when she faces Angela Hill.
The news of Dern and professional wakeboarder Wesley Santos’ impending divorce made headlines. There was a daughter from their marriage. Her fans who had watched her progress from jiu-jitsu to MMA were shocked to hear of the couple’s breakup.
Please look at the magnificent Instagram post from the UFC below. Do not hesitate to peruse its contents and indulge in its visual delights-
View this post on Instagram
After going through a divorce, a change in management, and a month without her coach, Jason Parillo, Mackenzie Dern put her fighting career on hold to focus on her mental strength.
Dern said in an interview with Fanatics View after her defeat by Yan Xiaonan:
“I think that with Yan, I was so frustrated because with the divorce and everything, I was so focused, and I wasn’t letting anything get to me. I was so focused on the fight… The fact that I still wasn’t able to get it, it pulled on my heart.”
“This fight is even worse because, I mean, I don’t know who’s been through a divorce, but the beginning of the divorce was a little bit easier than now. Now it’s like child support, spouse support, and all these lawyers and all this stuff.”
In the pre-fight media frenzy, Dern admitted that an outstanding performance this weekend depends on her having a solid game plan to overcome the difficulties she has been fighting outside of the octagon:
“I feel like so many things are trying to bring me down, like changing managers, the divorce, the gym. There’s so much stuff going on that I don’t want something to take me off my course. To stay on course, I need to have a plan.”
Catch Dern’s pre-fight media interview below-
Mackenzie Dern’s divorce
The UFC Strawweight Championship was not enough for Mackenzie Dern to leave the legacy she wants in the sport. The Brazilian claims her ultimate goal is to leave an indelible mark on the sport as a champion.
Dern, referencing her countryman Charles Oliveira’s accomplishments, said she hopes to surpass the 16 submission victories held by ‘Do Bronx’ in the organization’s history.
Speaking in the aforementioned pre-fight media scrum, Dern stated:
“I want to be the champion…. That’s my No.1 goal. But I don’t want to be a champion that people are going to forget about. I want to be remembered. That;s why I need to have the most submissions like Charles [Oliveira].”
