RIO DE JANEIRO – Even as Mackenzie Dern stands poised to break out of the pack in the UFC women’s strawweight division, she’s aware of the forces pulling her away from MMA.

For one, her father, jiu-jitsu icon Wellington “Megaton” Dias, doesn’t like her new foray. He would rather she not get punched in the face for a living. Along with nudges to mind her weight cut, Dern (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) gets text messages about returning to grappling. Dias is in Rio de Janeiro, which hosts Saturday’s pay-per-view main-card meeting with Amanda Cooper (3-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at UFC 224, but she isn’t sure he’ll make it.

“I feel the butterflies in my stomach more because he’s here,” Dern told MMAjunkie in advance of the bout at Jeunesse Arena in Rio. “I want to make him happy. I know he doesn’t want me to do MMA, so I want to show him, Dad, it’s OK. I’m meant to be here.”

Dern once lived in Rio while she was wiping the mats with opponents in the world of competition jiu-jitsu, but she now lives and trains in Southern California, where she relocated full-time after a stint at The MMA Lab in Arizona. The constant drive toward improvement has made her a better fighter, she estimated, but it’s also underlined the idea that she can’t do this forever.

While her career in MMA is just getting started, she’s more than two decades into the practice of jiu-jitsu. Eventually, she wants to live a life in which someone isn’t trying to choke or punch her.

“I definitely don’t want to be here for 10 years,” she said. “I would like to get the belt – maybe the belt in the (flyweight) division, and after to have two belts, then defend my titles sometimes. But I definitely don’t want to be taking punches to the face.

“I’m coming here to show to show a jiu-jitsu fighter – a woman – can get to the belt. I can be a striker. I have everything to be the best in the world. But I want to have a family too. I’ve been doing fighting since I was 3 years old, so it’s a long time in the sport. I definitely don’t want to be in this career forever.”

While she’s here, she wants to be an inspiration for men and women. If she could be the next Ronda Rousey, that wouldn’t be the worst thing. She’s already getting used to the constant barrage of criticism that accompanies a job in the UFC, where her every move is scrutinzed. The increasing level of talent is something she’s yet to experience.

Dern is blunt in declaring Cooper isn’t a step up from her previous opponent, Ashley Yoder. With three submission losses on her record, she thinks Cooper is more likely to fall prey to her submission skills. Dern isn’t taking any chances that her current opponent will wiggle free of an armbar; she aims to apply a choke that will cut of the blood supply to the brain, or force a tap.

“I think this one is a better match for a submission,” she said.

Whether that predicted outcome holds up is something she and the rest of the world will find out. But one thing Dern is sure will happen is she will take a break from fighting after Saturday night. Not a long break, mind you, but one that gives her enough of a breath before she resumes her push toward the top.

“I think take at least a two-month break, and then think about wanting to have a fight in October or September,” she said.

After all, it”s tough work trying to be the best all the time. While she’s enjoying the journey, she also needs to be a normal human being for a bit.

For more on UFC 224, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.