Mackenzie Dern, the UFC’s most viral fighter who crushes her rivals

Mackenzie Dern faces Virna Jandiroba for the vacant strawweight title in the co-main event of UFC 321.

Mackenzie Dern, UFC fighter

She is one of the fighters who draws the biggest following on social media, and she has earned it the hard way. Mackenzie Dern, an American and Brazilian UFC strawweight fighter, will fight this Saturday, October 25, for the vacant strawweight belt against Virna Jandiroba. It will be the co-main event of UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, a spectacular card headlined by Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title.

The significance of Dern’s fight is enormous, as the title was left vacant by champion Zhang Weili after she moved up to the flyweight division.

With 1.5 million followers on Instagram, the Phoenix-born athlete and black belt in jiu-jitsu holds a 15-5-0 record and is one of the most followed fighters in the entire UFC. Before her MMA career, Dern was a standout figure in jiu-jitsu: a two-time IBJJF adult world champion in the gi and the 2015 ADCC champion at −60 kg, the most prestigious title in no-gi grappling. That competitive résumé, combined with her family name — she is the daughter of legendary black belt Wellington “Megaton” Dias (she grew up traveling between Arizona and her father’s native Brazil) — placed her on MMA fans’ radar from an early age.

In addition, her quick return to the Octagon just four months after giving birth in 2019 became one of the most emotional stories in the UFC: she first paid the price with a loss to Amanda Ribas, and years later closed the circle by submitting her with an armbar at the inaugural 2025 event, headlining in Las Vegas.

At 32 years old, Mackenzie will compete in her 16th UFC fight with the opportunity to become champion.

Before the fight, Dern (ranked No. 5) gave some interesting statements to MMA Fighting. Dern, who has always dreamed of facing Zhang, admitted that she does not yet feel ready. “I don’t think now would be the time. I wouldn’t say no, but I don’t feel ready to face her at this point in my career,” she explained to MMA Fighting.

Mother of a six-year-old daughter, Moa, Mackenzie is married to professional surfer Wesley Santos and frequently shows off her horse Apollo on social media.

Regarding her fight against Jandiroba and the state of the division after Zhang’s departure, Dern pointed out: “First I need to win this belt. Then we’ll see whether Zhang comes back or not. She has already made history. I don’t need to beat her to consider myself a champion,” she stated.

Confident about putting on a great show, the Phoenix fighter added: “There are a lot of strong girls coming up — the fans won’t be bored.”

This will be a rematch of their first encounter. At UFC 256, Dern won on the scorecards by maintaining the pace and threatening in transitions, although Jandiroba resisted the submission phases and delivered high-level grappling in return.

Now, over five rounds and with a title on the line, the key for Dern may lie in creating scrambles where her creativity can shine and forcing arm or back sequences that could decide the fight.

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