Mackenzie Dern is eyeing a 2019 return in spite of being scheduled to give birth soon to her first child. The 25-year-old emphasized to Combate that she wants to come back and fight late in the year(Translation via Bloody Elbow):
“I’m sure I’ll still fight this year, I just don’t know the month. I want October so I can get ready as soon as possible. I wanted to fight in the ADCC, but I feel bad asking them now, with the baby still in my belly and all. The tournament will be here in California, in September. We have to see if I’ll have a normal birth or a cesarean one, but my doctors told me I could fight. I almost didn’t gain any weight, my doctor even wants me to put on more weight. This baby got me more motivated than ever.”
“When people say you can’t, that’s when you want to prove the opposite. They say the kid will take part of my time, but it only motivates me more. You don’t retire just because you’re a mom. It’s about your will. I think I got that from my dad, I grew up watching him fight. I never saw someone quit fighting because they became a parent. Kyra Gracie stopped, but that was her choice. I never thought I would have a kid and then retire. I always pictured in my mind that my kids would watch me fight.”
Mackenzie Dern (7-0) has two UFC wins. The last one over Amanda Cooper after stepping on the scales with a whopping 7 lbs more.
