Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Mackenzie Dern has big plans for her MMA career. Paired up against Marina Rodriguez for the UFC Vegas 39 main event, she knows that a win on Saturday could put her into the strawweight title mix, but the belt is not all that the grappling star targets.
In an interview with Combate, Mackenzie revealed a bit more of what she wishes to accomplish in MMA. Although winning a belt would already be nice enough, Dern would like to bring notoriety to jiu-jitsu like her previous idols did. Much like Royce Gracie, Demian Maia and BJ Penn, the 28-year-old wants to become another reference for the sport, but for women.