Mackenzie Dern is thinking well beyond her next match. The UFC strawweight champion appeared for an interview ahead of her first title defense at UFC 330 on August 15th, and her sights are firmly on a legacy that outlasts any single bout.
When asked about her goals five years down the road, Dern was straightforward.
“Besides winning the belt, I think Hall of Fame. I’d like to try and get there in some way. I don’t know which way it would be, but just be impactful enough that I can make it to the Hall of Fame. Feel like I’d made my mark in the MMA. And just have the records like most submissions, most wins.”
Asked if becoming the greatest strawweight ever was part of that picture, she said simply, “Yeah, that would be amazing.”
Life as champion has opened doors while creating new demands. Dern has had to pass on acting opportunities and travel to keep her training on track.
“Definitely had to say no to a lot of stuff, just like some movie opportunities and a lot of trips,” she said. “You’re trying to do the most you can that doesn’t physically hurt you. Let me try and make some money where I can, not depending just on figh ting, but at the same time my goal is still just to maintain being a champion.”
Dern, who holds the second-most wins in UFC strawweight history, previewed her upcoming title defense as a ground-based battle.
“I feel like two grapplers are going to go to the ground,” she said, pointing to her opponent’s lack of five-round experience as a key factor. “The plan isn’t to finish the fig ht fast. I really want to just take the momentum and beat her down every single round and maybe finish her in the fourth and fifth rounds.”
She also addressed the mental side of defending a title rather than chasing one. Being the champion, she said, brings its own fuel because “so many people are after you, so many people are studying you the whole time.”
Dern then reflected on the full weight of her journey, one that included pregnancy, multiple surgeries and learning an entirely new discipline in front of a global audience.
“It’s very fulfilling to be able to accomplish something so rare, to be the number one in the world,” she said. “I did it with all the stuff on my shoulders. My daughter and work and trying to provide and friends and still having a life.”
She plans to keep competing for roughly three more years, with business ventures and the poker table waiting on the other side.
