Mackenzie Dern's Accent Is Still The Most Confusing Thing In MMA
Submission specialist Mackenzie Dern picked up yet another win in the octagon tonight, armbarring Randa Markos at 3:44 of the very first round (after slipping on a banana peel and being given the gift of Markos jumping straight into her guard), but what really captured my imagination - yet again - was Dern's post-fight interview.
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Why, you ask?
Well, ya really never know which version of Mackenzie Dern will show up....and by that, I mean: you never know how thick the Brazilian accent (and broken english!) she started speaking with in 2014 will be!
Yep, that's right - Dern, born and raised in Arizona (while of Brazilian descent, and having spent some time with family in Brazil growing up) never showed any semblance of an accent until she was 21-years-old, and it's gradually come and gone (and then come again) and become even stronger over time.
Just as that accent started to rear its head, however - like Madonna's after her short stint across the pond - her English started to fade and she begun dropping basic grammar, pronunciation, and sentence structure to the point it sounded like it was her second language! She pretty much claims it is now, as well, stating: "My dad and step-mom are both Brazilian. My boyfriend speaks Portuguese. I'm speaking Portuguese more than English. I still have lots of interactions in English of course. But I think in Portuguese, anything to do with fight is all in Portuguese in my mind, I dream in Portuguese.", when pressed on the matter.
Ariel Helwani asked Dern about that above "evolution" video a few years back prior to her UFC debut, as well, and she just said it was flattering that so many people paid attention to her accent, but didn't really address the actual question….
So friggin strange! I don't know WHAT is going on with the whole accent thing, but I do know this: I'm absolutely fascinated and captivated by it at all times.
Shoutout Mackenzie Dern. Great win tonight. Even better follow on Instagram.