UFC strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern has opened up about the stark financial disparities between male and female MMA stars in the UFC.
During a recent interview, Dern acknowledged that while significant pay gaps exist, the dynamics aren’t always straightforward.
“Obviously it’s not all the women, but I know for sure there’s like a lot of guys that are like, man, I’m like killing out here and like this girl is getting like way more than me,”
she explained, highlighting how some female stars can actually out-earn their male counterparts under certain circumstances.
The Brazilian-American noted that women in the UFC can sometimes secure higher paydays than male stars, but this advantage typically comes through factors beyond pure MMA ability.
“We can get a higher payday than a lot of the guys just for being better looking and marketing ability, you know, social media and stuff like that,”
Dern said, pointing to the entertainment value and marketability that some female stars bring to the sport.
However, Dern emphasized that this advantage isn’t universal across the women’s division. The reality is that female stars often start from a lower baseline than their male counterparts.
“There’s just so many guys. So, it’s like they start at a lesser amount, the paycheck, the pay payday,”
she observed, explaining how the sheer volume of male MMA prospects creates different market dynamics.
The disparity stems partly from the developmental stage of women’s MMA compared to men’s divisions. Dern noted that women’s MMA is still a
“shallow category”
with fewer elite competitors.
“Like top women we have like whatever 10 and top guys they have like 50,”
she said, illustrating how the talent pool differences affect the sport’s economics.
Dern also touched on how audience perception plays a role in these pay differences. She suggested that many fans still view women’s bouts differently than men’s competitions.
“I think a lot of people think that women’s fights aren’t as entertaining, aren’t as technical,”
she said, adding that some viewers watch women’s fights simply for the novelty factor rather than appreciating the technical aspects.
Despite these challenges, Dern remains focused on her championship aspirations as a mother and a UFC title contender. Her perspective on pay equality reflects the complex realities facing female athletes in combat sports, where marketability, skill level, and audience appeal all factor into compensation structures.
