“Have to get punched in the face,” Mackenzie Dern vents on post-divorce struggle of fighting in the cage to pay ex-husband

Mackenzie Dern makes personal confessions before UFC 295 return. She talked about having to pay alimony to her ex because of her status as the sole bread-winner during their marriage.

“Have to get punched in the face,” Mackenzie Dern vents on post-divorce struggle of fighting in the cage to pay ex-husband

Mackenzie Dern (Source: IMAGO)

UFC strawweight star Mackenzie Dern had a rough one-year stretch due to her divorce proceedings. In 2023, she defeated Angela Hill via unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 73. She will take on Jéssica Andrade at UFC 295 in a must-win bout. A win could help her move closer to a title shot.

Dern talked about her mental health, divorce, daughter, and upcoming fight at the UFC 295 media day. Her marital life ending in divorce made her pay all the alimonies. She was the sole breadwinner of the family. Hence, the court motioned her to pay the alimonies. This is what Dern said:

We always have problems. Just the pressure. The last [fight] when I went through the divorce...the divorce was final, but you don't realize how much aftermath there is to it. Literally, this whole fight is still paying my ex...I have to get punched in the face, you work so hard and you do all this, and you have to [still] pay that much for something...
Mackenzie Dern via UFC 295 pre-fight press conference.
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As it happens, Andrade also went through a divorce proceeding in 2023. She revealed having to fight multiple times in 2023 to settle her divorce ahead of UFC 295. Andrade aims to get back on track in the octagon after her three skids. In Dern’s perspective, this marital ground split and losses make this an extremely dangerous prospect. Dern expects a tough bout against Andrade.

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Saturday’s strawweight fight will take place at Madison Square Garden as part of a pay-per-view main card. Dern could get closer to a title shot with a win. On the other hand, Andrade can boost her confidence with a win after losing three straight times in 2023.

Mackenzie Dern collaborates with MMA influencer Nina-Marie Daniele ahead of UFC 295

Mackenzie Dern takes on Jéssica Andrade in a strawweight bout at UFC 295. Ahead of the match, mixed martial arts reporter and influencer Nina-Marie Daniele interviewed her. Marie Daniele is famous for wits, pranks, and light-hearted yet deliberate segments, delving deep into MMA topics.

Nina Marie Daniele at UFC 295 pre-fight press conference
Nina Marie Daniele at UFC 295 pre-fight press conference (Source: Twitter)

During a recent segment, Marie Daniele sat with different fighters, asking and jesting them about the toughest English words they had to pronounce. This included Alex Pereira, Sergei Pavlovich, Dern, and others. For Dern, the word of the day was “momentarily.” However, she momentarily and hilariously got stuck whilst repeating it and could only blurt out “moment.”

Marie Daniele later took to X, on her personal account, to post a picture from the encounter. She has captioned the image, calling Dern awesome in the fullest of terms. Marie Daniele has a long good standing with numerous fighters and reports on any big and small quirk within the promotion.

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