Motherhood has just begun for UFC strawweight fighter Mackenzie Dern.
On Monday night, the 26-year-old Dern announced that her first baby has been born. Dern, who announced her pregnancy in February, shared the news of baby girl Moa’s birth on Instagram with a photo of baby, boyfriend Wesley Santos and herself at the hospital.
“Our daughter, Moa, is here!” Dern wrote. “June 9th at 8:25pm! A little late, stubborn, american/brazilian, beautiful, perfect, God’s gift and our family’s biggest pride! Delivery was smooth and I had the most important people by my side! Welcome here my baby girl! We love you so much!”
Dern (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) most recently fought in May of 2018 at UFC 224, earning a submission win over Amanda Cooper after missing the strawweight limit by seven pounds. Two months prior, Dern made her promotional debut with a split-decision victory over Ashley Yoder at UFC 222.
Those wins came on the heels of a 5-0 start to Dern’s professional MMA career, which has been marred by several instances of missing the 116-pound strawweight limit.
Despite regular questions about Dern’s ability to make strawweight, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace is one of the most feared grapplers in women’s MMA. .
For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
