UFC strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern has finally opened up about one of the most talked-about aspects of her career – her evolving accent that has sparked countless online debates and viral moments throughout her competitive journey.
During a recent appearance on “Stories Untold,” Dern addressed what she describes as the biggest controversy of her UFC career.
“I think like the biggest thing in my UFC career is like my accent. It’s crazy, you know, but it’s like my accent,”
Dern explained, reflecting on how a simple post-competition interview became a lightning rod for criticism.
The controversy began after her first UFC victory when a Portuguese translator unexpectedly appeared for her post-bout interview.
“I just won the fight and I’m like I don’t know why this translator’s here, you know? And then everyone everyone’s talking about that like, oh, why did she have to ask a translator when she speaks English?”
Dern recalled. The confusion arose because she had been conducting interviews in English throughout the week, making the translator’s presence puzzling to both her and viewers.
“I never asked, but it was something that just kind of went viral and a lot of people talked about that like why would you have a translator? I’m like, man, I did not ask for this translator. I don’t know why he was there, but we just like made it work,”
she said.
The bilingual MMA star, who was born in Arizona to a Brazilian father and American mother, has faced persistent scrutiny over her accent variations. Moving to Brazil at 16 and spending significant time between both countries, Dern‘s accent naturally shifts depending on her environment and who she’s speaking with.
“You know, I’ve always I’ve always was very like curious about that, too. You know, like why why why was that like such a big like is why is that so such a big thing?”
she wondered, expressing genuine confusion about the intense focus on her speech patterns.
Dern explained her upbringing involved constant exposure to both languages. Her Brazilian stepmother and father, both with strong Portuguese accents, were primary influences in her childhood.
“Portuguese both my stepmom and my dad have very very strong Brazilian accents, you know. So that’s something very like natural for us,”
she said, noting that her father’s accent remains pronounced after 30 years in America.
The strawweight contender acknowledged the complexity of switching between languages during interviews, especially when Portuguese-speaking interviewers ask for English responses or vice versa.
“Even when I speak Portuguese, my Portuguese isn’t 100%, you know, like when I speak a lot, it’s good. But if I’m if I’m mixing here, speaking speaking with me in English, and then I go to talk to my dad in Portuguese, they it’s all like, you know, it’s whatever.”
Rather than letting the criticism discourage her, Dern has learned to embrace the attention, even if it’s not always positive.
“I guess if they’re talking about it, it’s okay. If they’re watching my interviews and they want to hear me talk, then that’s fine,”
she said pragmatically.
Despite the ongoing scrutiny, Dern continues to represent both her Brazilian heritage and American upbringing, refusing to alter her natural speech patterns to satisfy critics.
