Mackenzie Dern (11-2, seven finishes) is set to fight Tecia Torres (13-5, two finishes) on Saturday’s pay-per-view main card of UFC 273 in Jacksonville, Fla. The top-five strawweight, who is looking to bounce back from a loss to Marina Rodriguez in her first UFC main event in October, chatted via Zoom with Scott Fontana for the Post Fight Interview.

Q: How was the experience of being in a UFC main event for the first time?
A: It felt like that’s where I’m supposed to be, so I was really happy. You know, I didn’t feel pressure or anything like that. I usually have a lot of media anyway, since the beginning [of my MMA career] all the way ’til now, so the media part didn’t change too much.

Q: What did you learn about yourself against Rodriguez?
A: You learn, as you get higher up in the ranks [closer] to the champion, the top five, you have to be on point. And you can’t make any mistakes with someone as experienced as Marina Rodriguez. … It’s like, I want to get to the belt now. But it’s like, OK, you’re not ready yet, but you’re in the right direction. 

Q: What do you believe you need to do to take your game to the next level and reach the championship picture?
A: I’m not saying that me being a mom is harder or less hard, but I think, up until now, I still was going into the fight thinking about being a mom, mom champion, this and that. And now I’m like, OK, I have, let’s say, five days [to] just kind of forget about being a mom for a second; forget about being a wife and all these things, and just focus on being Mackenzie the fighter and make the playing field equal, as in the mindset. I think the mindset needs to be, when I’m going in to fight these girls, they’re not thinking about if their daughter’s, you know, is their daughter OK? Are they crying? Are they hungry? Or anything like that. They’re just focused on beating me, on winning, on [landing] the punches. And so, I think the mindset definitely changed and it’s gonna get me there to be champ material.

Q: What challenges does Torres present for you in this weekend’s fight?
A: The biggest thing with Tecia is her experience, her volume and her cardio. She goes, goes. She moves good. She gets in, gets out, high volume, and just kind of outpoints … I definitely don’t want to let her get ahead in the points and make me be running after her and trying to catch up.

Q: You’ve not missed weight since giving birth to your daughter Moa in June 2019, after some difficulties earlier in your career. Did anything about your approach to weight management change?
A: My pregnancy kind of restarted my whole body. I had a really high fat percentage before I got pregnant. And then breastfeeding and Moa getting [bigger] inside of me, she took a lot of my body fat. I lost a lot of muscle during my pregnancy, but I was almost able to start from zero again. … But then, just staying focused and seeing how I didn’t want to get back to where I was before. I’m way more focused. I want to win my fights. I want to do good. I want to have good performances. And having someone depend on you, my daughter, it’s not just me. … I’m getting muscle, I’m working my strength training, and I’m keeping my body fat low. I’m in a way better place now, thankfully.

Q: Your father, Wellington Dias, is known as “Megaton” in the grappling world. You don’t go by a nickname in competition. Have you ever had one?
A: In jiu-jitsu, the people who know me, they call me “Megatinha,” and “Megatinha” is like a little “Megaton.” … I didn’t want to make that my UFC nickname or anything like that. 

Q: You were a world champion submission grappler before beginning your MMA career. Do you miss competitive grappling?
A: I miss it so much. If I don’t have any fight [coming up], I’m definitely gonna try to do some superfights, try to get in maybe another world championship [competition], maybe another ADCC [Submission Fighting World Championship] if I can.

Q: At what age did you think you might want to pursue martial arts as a career?
A: It was late, maybe 20, 21 years old. … But actually only after UFC Rio when I fought Amanda Cooper, I just had to figure it out. I didn’t make weight. I got that knockdown with the submission, but I didn’t make weight. So it was a lot of critics, and it was just kind of a crazy time of my life. I was kind of just fighting for the fun of it, for the fame, the attention, the money, everything very in-the-moment, not thinking ahead to be the champion or things like that. So I think that was the time I thought, OK, do I want to stay in MMA, or do I want to go back to jiu-jitsu? And I was like, no, I want to go to be the champ in MMA. So that was 2018, I decided I want to take this serious and be my career.

Q: What do you think you’d be doing for work today if you didn’t pursue MMA and BJJ professionally?
A: It’s pretty funny, but I would have done nutrition.(laughs} It’s funny, I say nutrition because I’ve always been interested in nutrition, even though I had such a hard time making weight in my past. But I always thought if I ever went to college, I would like to pursue nutrition, work with athletes. 

Q: You’re coming up on six years since your MMA debut and you’re only 29. Have you given any thought to how long you’d like to compete?
A: Hopefully, I can keep my body healthy for as long as I can. I want to accomplish a lot. I see Charles “do Bronx” [Oliveira, UFC lightweight champion] has so many submissions. I want to try and beat his record. I have a lot of goals in MMA now. I see myself being [in the sport] awhile.

Q: Typical walkaround weight between fights?
A: About 127, 128 [pounds].

Q: Typical weight on fight night?
A: Usually, I’m like 123. My last fight, I was 116, and we fight at 115. I’ve been working hard for this [upcoming] fight. I don’t want to go in that light. I’d like to bounce back up at least a little bit heavier than that, even though I felt good.

Q: What’s the coolest technique in combat sports?
A: I like the “chokoplata.” That’s like the omoplata where you have the [rear-naked] choke at the same time. I did that at one of my LFA fights [against current UFC flyweight Montana De La Rosa], and I’m definitely trying to get it in one of my UFC fights eventually. It’s never happened to the UFC. 

Q: Favorite movie?
A: It wasn’t a movie, but it was “The Last Dance” [with] Michael Jordan. 

Q: Favorite song?
A: I don’t have a favorite song. I like so many different [kinds of] music. I think my walkout music is one of my favorites: “Righteous” [by Hippie Sabotage].

Q: Favorite video game?
A: I like the “UFC” [game]. That’s one of my favorites. You know, I love to play that one. Going back in the day, I like “Crash [Bandicoot].”

Q: What’s a perfect day for you that doesn’t involve fighting?
A: Wake up. Go surf then after get a tan. Just relax on the beach tanning. I like to just lay in the sun. … Go get some sushi [for] lunch, then go home, take a nap. And all this with my family; Moa and my husband together. Wake up. Go for a walk with the dogs. Go watch the sunset. Maybe go to a Brazilian barbecue at night with the family, have some steak.