Mackenzie Dern, the UFC strawweight champion, has made a candid admission about the toll mixed martial arts has taken on her brain. In a revealing conversation on the Além do Tatame podcast, the 32-year-old Brazilian-American MMA star discussed experiencing noticeable cognitive decline from repeated head trauma sustained throughout her combat sports career.
“Now, MMA — it’s not for sensitive people. It’s not for everyone, you know? And it’s a kind of short career, and it’s very physically demanding, you know?”
“I believe my memory has changed quite a bit from taking so many punches to the head, you know? I feel a big difference, you know? Just basic things like that — memory, recollection, you know?”
Dern stated candidly during the interview.
The former world jiu-jitsu champion acknowledged that these neurological concerns have influenced her perspective on her daughter’s future. When asked about whether she wants her daughter to follow in her footsteps, Dern expressed hesitation specifically about MMA.
“I wouldn’t want my daughter to be spoiled. I understand my father nowadays, you know? Because she’s growing, but I always see her like the little baby inside the ultrasound, you know?”
she said, explaining her father’s protective instincts now make more sense to her as a parent.
Dern elaborated on the physical toll of her profession:
“I’m having to compete so she doesn’t have to, right?”
The champion emphasized that while she insists her daughter obtain a black belt in jiu-jitsu for self-defense purposes, she hopes she chooses a different career path.
“I think Jiu-Jitsu is great. She does Jiu-Jitsu, she has to. I already spoke about the black belts — she has to get them, you understand? She has to defend herself, she has to know how to do it. She doesn’t even have to compete if she doesn’t want to, you understand? But at least train so she knows how to defend herself if necessary.”
Dern’s concerns extend beyond just her daughter’s future. She addressed the broader issue of athlete health insurance and long-term care in the UFC.
Despite these serious realities, Dern remains committed to her championship aspirations while being honest about the risks. At 32 years old, she acknowledged her career timeline is limited:
“I don’t see myself competing like this for many more years, you know? I’m 32, right?”
For her post-competition future, Dern expressed interest in fitness events and bodybuilding, activities that would allow her to maintain her competitive spirit without the cognitive risks of combat sports. The MMA star’s transparency about brain health issues represents a rare and important conversation in the sport, where such concerns are often minimized or ignored until retirement.
