{"id":13554,"date":"2025-03-08T04:34:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T21:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=13554"},"modified":"2025-03-08T04:34:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T21:34:27","slug":"mackenzie-dern-balances-motherhood-and-mma-to-become-one-of-the-ufcs-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=13554","title":{"rendered":"Mackenzie Dern Balances Motherhood and MMA to Become One of The UFC&#8217;s Best"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<h3><strong>Waiting and Watching Mom in the Weightroom<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Mackenzie Dern balances her intense training regimen with motherhood. Many times a trip to the gym becomes a version of \u201ctake your daughter to work day.\u201d While juggling these two responsibilities can be challenging, mother-daughter time ranks among the most enjoyable aspects of her life, even if her daughter, sometimes has different ideas about what constitutes fun.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOftentimes, during my all-day training schedule, it can wear on a child,\u201d Dern explains. \u201cBut she\u2019ll run around, play on the mats, do gymnastics, and hit the bag. Sometimes she doesn\u2019t want to go and says, \u2018Oh, come on.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To keep her daughter smiling, Dern sometimes resorts to playing a movie on her laptop. At the same time, Dern slips in her earbuds and hits the weights.<\/p>\n<p>Dern relies heavily on lower-body exercises to maximize her grappling strength on the mats while also helping to counteract the years of wear and tear she has faced. \u201cI\u2019ve gone through so many injuries from takedowns, and my knees sometimes get, you know, ripped to the side,\u201d she shares. \u201cThe goal is always to protect and support my joints and back to ensure a longer career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dedicated to her weight training, Dern hits the gym at least six times a week. With Jamaican singer Beam in her earbuds, she performs a variety of exercises, including cleans, deadlifts, and squats, complemented by accessory movements like extensions and hip thrusts. She also boxes three times a week and trains on the BJJ mats for another three sessions.<\/p>\n<p>Recovery is crucial for Dern. Over the course of her career, her injury list includes a broken nose and several ACL and MCL tears. She utilizes post-training techniques such as compression boots and visits to Huntington Beach\u2019s Repair Sports Institute. \u201cThey take care of me after training, even before fights, addressing any little issues I feel,\u201d she notes.<\/p>\n<p>For Dern, weightlifting has become the cornerstone of maintaining her health and protecting herself from injuries. \u201cWeightlifting is the one thing I do constantly because it helps me. Especially when I start doing MMA, and they\u2019re twisting my arms and legs. I need that protection,\u201d she explains. \u201cSo whenever I finish a camp or fight, weightlifting is the first thing I return to.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Motherhood then MMA for Mackenzie Dern<\/h3>\n<div class=\"sc-bcXHqe sc-dkrFOg sZiLj jRkFtP\">\n<div class=\"sc-bcXHqe sc-lbVpMG sZiLj daeigB\">\n<div id=\"message-cell-01JNRQFXCCH6HKE3072WGE8D8F\" class=\"sc-bcXHqe sc-dkrFOg sZiLj jRkFtP\">\n<div class=\"sc-bcXHqe sc-gswNZR sZiLj cwUxRt\">\n<div class=\"sc-bcXHqe sc-gswNZR sZiLj cwUxRt\">\n<div class=\"sc-bcXHqe sc-dkrFOg sZiLj jRkFtP\">\n<div class=\"_markdownGlobal_4p52c_1\">\n<p>Mackenzie Dern has been recognized as one of the elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts in the sport since she began competing internationally in 2012. She has won gold in nearly every major BJJ tournament, including multiple championships in the IBJJF, as well as titles at the World Pro and ADCC.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s also the daughter of one of BJJ\u2019s most influential practitioners, Wellington \u201cMegaton\u201d Dias. Dern recalls telling her father about her decision to challenge herself by stepping into MMA. \u201cHe didn\u2019t want me to go at all\u2014he was against it,\u201d she admits. \u201cHe said, \u2018No, you\u2019re too pretty. You shouldn\u2019t get punched in the face. That\u2019s for guys.\u2019 So it was against my dad\u2019s will. But now he loves it and supports me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, it\u2019s her little girl who may one day want to follow in her mother\u2019s footsteps. For now, after two straight wins, Moa is focusing on becoming a mini hype machine. And Dern couldn\u2019t be happier. \u201cShe tells me, \u2018Mom, you need to train every day because then you\u2019re going to fight for the belt, win lots of belts, and become a champion!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Balancing her career with motherhood has been a rewarding challenge for Dern. \u201cShe\u2019s starting to understand the relationship between sacrifice and reward,\u201d Dern explains. \u201cSometimes she says, \u2018We have to go to training.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Splitting her time between chasing a UFC championship and chasing after Moa down the hallway is a challenge Dern happily accepts. Despite the long days and nights and the demanding grind of being a UFC fighter, moments with Moa are cherished, such as their time together in Abu Dhabi after her 2024 win over Lupita Godinez or playing beauty parlor in the living room after a tough workout. Motherhood remains the greatest title for Dern.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand that when you\u2019re home and tired, and she wants to play, you have to be present,\u201d she says. \u201cYou find yourself playing salon or beauty while trying to relax, and she\u2019s painting your whole face. Those moments are truly the best, and they\u2019re what I try to cherish.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/muscle-fitness-hers\/mackenzie-dern-balances-motherhood-and-mma-to-become-one-of-the-ufcs-best\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Waiting and Watching Mom in the Weightroom Mackenzie Dern balances her intense training regimen with motherhood. Many times a trip to the gym becomes a version of \u201ctake your daughter to work day.\u201d While juggling these two responsibilities can be challenging, mother-daughter time ranks among the most enjoyable aspects of her life, even if her &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13554\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}