Grappling Royalty and Ring-Ready: Makenzie Dern — Family, Fights, and the Life That Shapes Her

Basic Information

The Story, Up Close — dates, numbers, and the family that raised a fighter

I remember the first time I saw Makenzie Dern on a mat: she moved like someone who had been listening to the language of grappling since she could toddle — and in fact she had been. Born March 24, 1993, Dern’s life reads like a cross-border training montage — part Phoenix/Arizona rhythm, part Rio de Janeiro lineage — with a family cast whose names carry weight in BJJ gyms worldwide.

Wellington “Megaton” Dias is the gravitational center here — a coach, competitor, and the man who introduced her to defensive instincts and the subtle violence of positional chess. If you imagine a coach in a film — halftime pep talk, cigarette-smoke light through the gym windows — Megaton is the quiet counterpoint: technique over theatrics, miles of repetitions. Her mother, Luciana Tavares, is part of that same lineage — a familial training ecosystem where dinner conversation could easily double as a lesson in hip escapes and guard retention.

Below is a tidy introductions table — short and to the point, because family in Dern’s world is both personal and professional.

From toddler rolls to world podiums — BJJ numbers that matter

Makenzie’s résumé in grappling is not a list of gimmicks; it’s a ledger of medals and repeated excellence. She collected multiple IBJJF world titles across belt divisions, standing on podiums where the difference between gold and silver is a fraction of movement and an economy of pressure. She also tested herself in ADCC-style competition — the steep, unforgiving trials of submission grappling — and then, in 2016, made the pivot every serious grappler eventually contemplates: MMA.

The transition to mixed martial arts accelerated her public profile. A pro debut in 2016 followed by a UFC arrival in 2018 put her in the eye of a larger storm: pay-per-view weeks, press conferences, and a fanbase that loves both the finesse of her submissions and the cinematic tension of her story. Fight records, punch stats, takedown averages — those are the numbers analysts devour, but what I find more telling is the rhythm of her life: training sessions stacked like playlists, a daughter’s bedtime in the middle of fight camps, and a family network that reads like a supportive — and occasionally complicated — narrative arc.

Career notes, pay, and the money question

Let’s address the ledger: net-worth estimates for athletes are always approximations because they blend disclosed purses, sponsorships, and private deals. Public estimates for Makenzie fall in a range — roughly $1.0 million to $2.5 million depending on how you count bonuses, social sponsorships, and private endorsements. She has earned fight purses, performance bonuses, and social attention that translate into monetizable opportunities; still, that range reflects the reality that fighters’ finances spike with big wins and headline slots.

Personal life — the human beats between rounds

In my conversations with friends who cover fighters, the recurring theme is resilience: Manchego in a kitchen, a lullaby before practice, and the split-second decisions inside cages. Makenzie’s personal life has its chapters — marriage to Brazilian surfer Wesley Santos, the birth of daughter Moa in June 2019, later separation and legal proceedings reported in the press — and through it all she’s been photographed in training gear, in airport lines, at weigh-ins and playgrounds, embodying the complicated truth that elite athletes are also parents, with all the small, necessary sacrifices that entails.

I like to think of her life as a cinematic trilogy: origin (BJJ pedigree and family training), ascent (competitive dominance and MMA transition), and the ongoing present — where motherhood, media, and the octagon overlap in messy, magnificent ways.

FAQ

When was Makenzie Dern born?

Makenzie Dern was born on March 24, 1993.

Who are her parents?

Her father is Wellington “Megaton” Dias and her mother is Luciana Tavares, both integral parts of her BJJ upbringing.

Does she have children?

Yes — she has a daughter named Moa, born in June 2019.

When did she start MMA and join the UFC?

She turned professional in MMA in 2016 and made her UFC debut in 2018.

What are her biggest grappling achievements?

She won multiple IBJJF-level world titles and earned top-level placements in elite submission grappling events.

What is her estimated net worth?

Public estimates generally place her net worth between about $1.0 million and $2.5 million, depending on what is counted.

Is Makenzie still active in fighting?

As of the timeline covered here, she has remained active — juggling fights, training, and family life.