Dern Reflects On First Fight With Ribas Before UFC Vegas 101
by Trent Reinsmith · ForbesMackenzie Dern has the chance to right some wrongs on Saturday when she faces Amanda Ribas in a rematch. The first time the two met was in 2019 when Dern had a perfect 7-0 record and Ribas was 7-1. Ribas won that meeting by decision. At UFC Vegas 101, Dern and Ribas run things back in the main event.
Today, Dern is 14-5 and the No. 6 fighter in the official UFC strawweight rankings. During media day for Saturday’s UFC Vegas 101 event, the 31-year-old looked back on her first meeting with Ribas.
“I feel like I was such a different person back then, I didn’t even feel like it was me,” Dern said. “My overhand rights that I kind of threw out there I still have, the heart still there, but I feel like I’m a totally different person, and it was three rounds. I feel like we’re at totally different phases of our careers. I’ve evolved in striking, in wrestling, in takedowns, and just so much experience.
“Going back, I fought like Jessica (Andrade), Amanda Lemos, and all these girls that punch harder than Amanda (Ribas). Obviously, if any punch lands on the right spot, you can still knockout, but it’s a different type of confidence to me going into this fight now five years later than four months after my daughter was born and taking a little while off.”
Dern took that first fight with Ribas following a break of 17 months, a break she took due to her pregnancy. Dern said she has some regrets about how fast she returned to action, four months, after giving birth to her daughter.
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A little bit, yeah,” Dern said. “I still think I would have losses in my career, and I’m still happy with where I am today. It’s made me who I am today, so I can’t totally regret, but I think if I could go back, I’d wait a little bit longer.”
UFC Vegas 101: Mackenzie Dern Vs. Amanda Ribas 2
A member of the UFC roster since 2018, the 31-year-old Dern is an accomplished grappler, with multiple world titles to her name in the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Dern has had an up-and-down run with the UFC over the past four years. She opened her UFC career with a 5-1 record, with her sole loss being a 2019 decision setback to Ribas. Since then, Dern has gone 4-4 with the promotion. She has not won back-to-back fights since 2020-21.
Dern ended a two-fight losing skid in August when she scored a decision win over Loopy Godinez.
Amanda Ribas (13-5) is the No. 8 fighter in the women’s 115-pound division. She is also ranked No. 10 at 125 pounds.
Ribas signed with the UFC in 2017, but her promotional debut was delayed following a positive drug test. Ribas was initially given a two-year suspension when her sample came back positive for ostarine. That suspension was terminated in early May 2019, when it was determined that the positive test came from a contaminated supplement. Ribas made her UFC debut in June 2019 with a submission win over Emily Whitmire.
Ribas went 4-0 with the UFC between June 2019 and July 2020 with two submissions and two decision wins. Since then, the 31-year-old has alternated wins and losses, accumulating a 3-4 record while fighting at 115 and 125 pounds.
Ribas’ most recent outing was a March 2024 decision loss to former two-time UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas at 125 pounds.
UFC Vegas 101: Mackenzie Dern Vs. Amanda Ribas 2 Main Card
Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Carlston Harris
César Almeida vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov
Christian Rodriguez vs. Austin Bashi
Punahele Soriano vs. Uroš Medić
UFC Vegas 101: Mackenzie Dern Vs. Amanda Ribas
2 Preliminary Card
Jose Johnson vs. Felipe Bunes
Marco Tulio vs. Ihor Potieria
Thiago Moisés vs. Trey Ogden
Preston Parsons vs. Jacobe Smith
Ernesta Kareckaitė vs. Nicolle Caliari
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Bruno Lopes
Fatima Kline vs. Victoria Dudakova
Nurullo Aliev vs. Joe Salecki
We will have more info on the UFC Vegas 101: Dern Vs. Ribas 2 fight card as fight night nears. The event is the first fight card on the UFC schedule for 2025.