Paige VanZant says Mackenzie Dern is a HUGE inspiration -- showing that women CAN still have a career in the UFC even after giving birth!!!
Of course, Dern lost her comeback fight to Amanda Ribas just 4 months after giving birth to her baby daughter ... but the fight went the distance and Dern still looked pretty dangerous.
Ribas rocks Dern, then takes her down here in round 1! #UFCTampa pic.twitter.com/b7HyvayaBw
— UFC (@ufc) October 13, 2019
25-year-old VanZant says watching Dern fight "put things into perspective for me" about the reality of starting a family with her MMA fighter husband, Austin Vanderford, while maintaining a career as an MMA fighter.
"I always thought that I was going to have kids once I’m done fighting but now seeing that, I’m like no you don’t have to."
"[Dern] legitimately, in the time I broke my arm, she had a baby, came back and fought. So, now I’m like okay there’s hope for me!"
"Me and my husband, I can have a few more fights, maybe have kids and then still continue to fight. I don’t have to give up my dreams, just because you go through childbirth."
"It’s really inspiring and I hope other women can see that too. She’s still young and she’s going to have a really successful UFC career, it’s awesome."
Paige also says people forget how BADASS it is to have a kid "It’s a very traumatic, intense experience. You can die giving birth. It’s a big deal. So, for her to go 4 months later and come back? That’s huge and inspirational."