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Mackenzie Dern made waves with her dominant unanimous decision victory over Angela Hill in their five-round women's strawweight MMA bout that headlined a UFC Fight Night event in May 2023. Prior to that matchup, Dern confirmed that she's been going through a tumultuous divorce.
Brazilian-American BJJ champion and UFC star Mackenzie Dern was married to Brazilian professional surfer Wesley Santos. In 2019, the couple had a child together, a daughter named Moa. However, the couple separated in 2022, and the court has now granted them joint custody of their daughter.
Dern accused Santos of financial improprieties and physical and mental abuse. Meanwhile, Santos labeled her assertions as "false and defamatory" and refrained from publicly detailing his side of the story until their legal battle was over.
Before facing Angela Hill in May 2023, Mackenzie Dern opened up on her divorce during a UFC media scrum. The 30-year-old indicated that right from changing managers and gyms to her divorce proceedings, she had a tough fight camp.
Speaking to Fanatics View, the grappling savant discussed her divorce. Apparently, the Mackenzie Dern split transpired in 2022, as her divorce proceedings had started before her fight against Yan Xiaonan in October 2022.
Moreover, in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Dern emphasized that although she tried to make their marriage work, Santos (Mackenzie Dern's husband) relentlessly escalated his abusive behavior.
Dern opined that it ultimately reached an unbearable stage. She recalled being unable to defend herself, as she feared the legal repercussions of her, an MMA fighter, hitting her husband, who wasn't a professional fighter.
Moreover, during the UFC 295 media day this week, Dern asserted that she'll have to pay a significant sum from her upcoming fight purse to her husband as alimony because she's their family's primary earner. Dern stated:
“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. 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."
Watch Dern's assessment below:
Mackenzie Dern divorce proceedings still underway as BJJ veteran eyes UFC title shot
Presently, the No.7-ranked UFC women's strawweight Mackenzie Dern is scheduled to face the No.5-ranked UFC women's strawweight Jessica Andrade at UFC 295 on November 11, 2023. It's believed that a victory over a former UFC women's strawweight champion like Andrade would likely catapult BJJ wizard Dern into the UFC title picture at 115 pounds.
Jessica Andrade, too, has been going through divorce proceedings with her wife. On that note, Dern implied that they could let out their demons against one another inside the octagon. Meanwhile, addressing the same, Andrade jested that after their UFC fight, they could perhaps "exchange information" concerning their respective divorces.
