Elite grappler and top-tier women’s MMA fighter Mackenzie Dern has just been rewarded by USADA for hitting the commendable milestone of 25 consecutive clean drug tests during her time competing in the UFC. It’s an achievement that most fighters will never accomplish, primarily due to the fact that it requires them to be signed with the UFC for a pretty long time. Not just that of course, but it also requires that they abstain completely from any performance-enhancing drugs.
While that second part might seem like a relatively easy task, it’s no secret that both MMA and BJJ have their fair share of PED users. While some fighters have actually been pretty open about their past or present drug-use, there are a great deal more who have been on the receiving end of rumors or accusations from their fellow fighters. Of course, the nature of professional fighting means that there is often a fair amount of false accusations thrown around as fighters are attempting to draw eyes to their upcoming fight. For this reason, it can be hard to separate the genuine accusations from the ones that are just done for attention.
Unlike many of her fellow competitors, Dern has never really been under major scrutiny as both fans and opponents alike have not suspected her. It seems as though the UFC’s partnership with USADA has managed to help prove that the lack of suspicion was justified as she has not failed a single drug test yet. After her most recent successful drug test, USADA gave Dern a t-shirt commemorating the event just as they do with other fighters who manage to make it this far.
Mackenzie Dern shared the news of her receiving her 25 consecutive clean test t-shirt from USADA in a post to her official Instagram account:
