Mackenzie Dern returns to UFC action this weekend at UFC 295. The 30-year-old last fought in May this year against Angela Hill securing a unanimous decision win. Going into the fight, Dern was dealing with a lot of personal issues. Despite that, Dern emerged victorious. At UFC 295, Dern takes on Jessica Andrade with a lot at stake outside of fighting.
In the build up to her last fight, Dern was dealing with an extremely messy and public divorce. The 30-year-old mother was married to Wesley Santos. Professional surfer Wesley Santos began his surfing career in 2011. Among his noteworthy events are the Vissla Central Pro, the Surfest Beach Newcastle Pro, and the SLO CAL Open in Pismo Beach. Dern and Santos’ daughter, Moa, was born in June 2019.
According to Dern, the cracks in her relationship with Santos started appearing long before she filed for divorce. However, she endured the troubles for a while for the sake of her daughter and wanting to keep her family together. Unfortunately, things got out of hand and she filed for a divorce in the build up to the Angela Hill fight. Dern also considered pulling out of the fight due to all the external stressors. However, she needed the money to pay all the bills related to the divorce and therefore, ultimately ended up taking the fight.
Mackenzie Dern details her struggles with her husband Wesley Santos
In the divorce filings, Dern accused her ex-husband of domestic violence. These claims were vehemently dismissed by Santos who released a statement of his own and in return accused Dern of domestic abuse. The claims made back and forth by Santos and Dern made the divorce extremely public and toxic as well.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani, she further shed light on her situation. She said,
“So I feel like I’ve been having to defend myself this whole time for things that I never thought I’d have to defend myself for. I was in a situation in my relationship where I couldn’t even defend myself, because I was getting, like, threatened that if I did anything, I’d be talking to the police and I could lose my daughter.”
Ultimately, the courts granted the two a divorce. However, it came at a cost for Dern. She was granted joint custody of her daughter Moa. She was also deemed as the primary earner in the family and therefore ordered to pay $10,000 to cover legal costs for Santos.
In addition, she was ordered to pay a monthly sum of $4,006 for child support as well. In the press conference prior to her fight against Andrade, Dern spoke about the financial burden of having to pay $4,006 a month in child support. Despite her struggles in her personal life, Dern has served as a great example of perseverance for UFC fans.
