Mackenzie Dern‘s life has transformed dramatically since capturing UFC gold and the newly crowned strawweight champion is navigating the whirlwind of fame while keeping her focus on defending her title.
Speaking at a recent UFC presser, Dern opened up about the challenges that come with championship status.
“My life’s changed completely. I’ve been doing so much stuff. It’s been like, it’s really true. Like that thing where they say like it’s hard to keep training when you’re doing so many different things. So, the goal right now is just try and get my training on point to make sure I can defend my belt as long as possible because pretty soon we’re gonna have a (card) coming up.”
The champion revealed she’s been in discussions about her first title defense targeting a May or June timeframe. When asked about potential opponents Dern acknowledged multiple possibilities with Zhang Weili emerging as the leading contender.
“There are a few girls I think that maybe could come up”
“But I think Weili is a really really strong strong contender.”
Regarding a potential legacy contest with Zhang Weili, Dern took a measured approach.
“I don’t feel like I need to, but I feel like the fans really want to see it. I mean, if she wanted to retire today, she could because she’s accomplished so much. So, I mean, I don’t put that pressure on myself ”
“But definitely, it will be very fulfilling to be able to beat her and then I can just kind of solidify to all the anyone who had a doubt that I’m the real champion, you know, and I didn’t just get it easy.”
Beyond competing, Dern has found success in poker crediting the game with improving her mental approach.
“That’s when I started poker I went on my three win streak and I won the belt. So it really helped me just control my emotions.”
When asked about the UFC’s new bonus structure offering $100,000 for finishes Dern expressed enthusiasm about chasing more performance bonuses.
“I plan on trying to catch up to Charles Do Bronx’s with the most bonuses in the UFC.”
The conversation took an entertaining turn when Dern expressed interest in reality television particularly The Amazing Race.
“I want to do The Amazing Race so bad. I want to do Survivor, but The Amazing Race I do. I talked to them I was like, ‘Put me on there,’”
she said enthusiastically, suggesting another MMA star as her potential teammate.
