‘This title is ours’: How UFC champ juggles mum duties with ‘warrior’ mindset

UFC champion Mackenzie Dern admits an enormous weight has been lifted from her shoulders since winning the title, but has sent a warning to rivals not to take that as weakness as she prepares to defend the gold for the first time.

And at the heart of Dern’s motivation to make this a legendary run with the belt around her waist is her young daughter, Moa.

Since joining the UFC eight years ago after a career in jiu-jitsu that saw her dominate across the globe, Dern has become one of the top female competitors in the sport and an extremely marketable star for the promotion.

The 33-year-old had setbacks on her path towards becoming champion, losing back-to-back fights to Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos in late-2023 and early-2024, before bouncing back and climbing the strawweight rankings.

So, when the legendary Weili Zhang vacated the 115-pound title last year, Dern was ready to step up and challenge for the vacant strap, defeating Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision to realise a long-time dream with the UFC.

Speaking to nine.com.au ahead of her clash with Gillian Robertson at UFC 330 this weekend, Dern explained why the victory was about more than just the gold and how she plans to inspire not only her daughter, but young girls everywhere.

“It was a moment of relief and fulfillment,” she said.

Read more

‘Absolutely crazy’: Legend stunned as Aussie star’s rise continues

“You always try and get better with each loss or obstacle, whether it was fighting or in my personal life, trying to take it one day at a time and staying focused, then having my daughter depend on me and provide the best life possible for her.

“You don’t have any days off, no matter if you’ve had a hard day, you have to keep showing up because otherwise, someone else is gonna punch you in the face. 

“People spend their whole lives trying to accomplish that goal of being champion, so to finally get that while also being a mum, having gone through injuries and surgeries and coming from jiu-jitsu to learn a new sport, it was amazing.

“It also opened up a lot in my heart and mind to pursue what Mackenzie wants - I think I was really trying to accomplish things for my daughter and my father and show the fans I had what it takes to be a champion.

“Now that I’ve accomplished that, I can focus on what I want - whether that’s breaking records, going into the UFC Hall of Fame, trying to get more people to enjoy women’s MMA and help young girls become interested in MMA. 

“The pressure that came off my shoulders after winning the belt means now I can work on getting better. I don’t have the pressure of wanting to become champion, now the belt is mine and I want to protect it with everything I can.” 

Dern’s daughter – who was born just over a year after her UFC debut in 2019 – has been a constant presence throughout her career, and you only need to take one glimpse at her social media account to see the bond they share.

But when it comes to fight week, as motivating as it is to be fighting for someone other than herself, Dern admits there are times she has to zone in and leave the mum duties to someone else, switching to the “warrior spirit” mindset required to go out and perform in front of thousands, if not millions, of UFC fans.

“For me, it’s the biggest motivation there is,” Dern said.

“It’s way bigger than self-motivation, which can be a little bit harder to find. I want to teach her those values and lessons that I’ve learned through martial arts and chasing your dreams. That’s why I say this title is very much ours, not just mine.

“My job is a little bit easier because I can take her to work with me, it’s not like being inside an office. She has been around the gym since she was a baby and I’m lucky in that aspect, I can take her to fights with me and take her to training.

“But it’s definitely important to have a support system around in those moments where I need to be 100 per cent focused and I can’t be mum.

“Usually for two nights before the fight, she sleeps with grandma or grandpa, just so I can focus on the weight cut and getting in the zone. I try not to see her for about four hours before the fight, just so I can get into that warrior spirit.”

Dern (16-5, eight submissions) will co-main event this weekend’s pay-per-view in Philadelphia, headlined by a welterweight title showdown between pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev and Irish star Ian Machado Garry.

And while she believes some of her rivals, including her opponent Robertson, might be looking past her credentials, Dern is confident the pressure alleviated by reaching the pinnacle of the UFC has only made her sharper inside the cage.

“I feel like the girls are gunning for me,” she said with a smile.

“I’m a different champion to Weili. The girls saw her and knew it was a hard one, but with me, a lot of the girls probably think ‘oh yeah, I can take her’ and that it won’t be as hard. They think they have the formula to beat me and of course, they’re all hungry and want what I have, which is the belt.

“But for me, being able to finally win it and take that pressure off myself, it’s allowed me to evolve so much as a fighter. I’m not hoping and praying about it, it belongs to me and we plan to keep bringing new things to my game.

“Whoever I come up against won’t have the solution they think they do, and I can keep throwing new things at them.”

Dern predicted a fourth or fifth-round submission against Robertson, while the women’s champ is predicting Makhachev to retain in the main event.