“The best thing about Jiu-Jitsu is…” UFC star Mackenzie Dern names best skill for women’s safety

Mackenzie Dern advocates for the power of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in women's safety.

“The best thing about Jiu-Jitsu is…” UFC star Mackenzie Dern names best skill for women’s safety

Mackenzie Dern with her only daughter Moa (via Instagram)

Mackenzie Dern came into the UFC as one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) practitioners in the world. Fighters in the UFC fear to compete with her on the ground. Wellington “Megaton” Dias, her father, is one of the best at BJJ. She followed his footsteps and accomplished more than him.

Even though she has great BJJ, her weak striking resulted in losses. Another factor that hindered her success was her weak wrestling, which made it difficult for her to take the fight to the ground. Nonetheless, per Dern, BJJ is the best skill for women’s safety.

I mean, it's on the ground, imagine, even just the guard. If someone's trying, I mean, in that position, you know, it's like, 'Okay, armbar.' That's like the best thing about Jiu-Jitsu is the element of surprise.
Mackenzie Dern via The Coach and the Casual podcast
YouTube video

Dern cited herself as an example in a hypothetical scenario. As a 5’4″ blonde female, a potential rapist or assaulter might find her as an easy target. However, even a smaller female like herself could catch them in armbars or triangle chokes with simple techniques.

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Currently, Dern is on a two-fight losing streak. In her last fight, at UFC 298, she lost to Amanda Lemos via unanimous decision. Tatiana Suarez was the original opponent for Lemos, and Dern replaced Suarez on relatively short notice. Before that, she suffered the first TKO loss of her MMA career against Jessica Andrade at UFC 295.

Mackenzie Dern reveals why she does not trash-talk

Trash talk is an essential part of MMA. Chael Sonnen was the first to employ the tactic in MMA, and Conor McGregor took it to another level. However, some fighters never trash-talk their opponents with Mackenzie Dern as a prime example

Mackenzie Dern BJJ
Mackenzie Dern (via Instagram)

In her appearance on the Coach and the Casual podcast, co-host Kyle Deever inquired whether her non-existent trash talk lost her opportunities. She did not think so but revealed why she had never implemented the tactic.

It's just in Jiu-Jitsu, it's so hard, you know, so respectful, you know...It's like, you beat the person one week, and the next week, and you're at another open...you fight the same people so many times, so it's like a win or lose doesn't really matter...you can't really trash talk because you're going to probably fight them 10 more times, you know.
Mackenzie Dern via The Coach and the Casual podcast

Even though she did not have a trash-talking style, Mackenzie Dern has had her share of controversy. She had a messy split with Wesley Santos, her ex-husband. Moreover, Black House MMA kicked her and Juan Gomez, her coach, out of the team after a messy disagreement. It is safe to say trash-talking is not the only way to garner controversy and attention.

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