It took over five years, but strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern has finally avenged her first pro loss.
Dern secured a third-round armbar submission against fellow-ranked 115-pound fighter Amanda Ribas on Saturday night, closing out UFC’s first “Fight Night” card of the year from the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
The victory, both an important one for Dern historically and when looking at her more recent performances, saw her showcase a superior grappling skillset before putting the fight away with a fully secured hold.
Dern got the fight to the ground halfway into the opening frame, staying on top for the rest of the round but being limited by a highly defensive Ribas. Then a round later, when Ribas reversed a takedown attempt to earn her own top control position, Dern remained active from the bottom and got back on top shortly before the five-minute frame expired.
While the fight was tied on scorecards through two, it seemed evident that Dern had an edge on the ground. Her advantage in the grappling then became clearer than ever come the third round.
After being taken down roughly 90 seconds into round three, Dern continued to control the fight despite being on her back. She eventually started to look for an armbar, attempting the hold for over a minute and finally extending it for a tap with less than five seconds to go in the round.
Dern mentioned afterward that it felt important to avenge her 2019 decision loss to Ribas, which snapped what was then a seven-fight undefeated MMA record.
“I’m trying to get better with my striking better, trying to get better with my takedowns,” Dern said during her post-fight interview. “We were able to get some takedowns. She’s such a tough fighter, with her Judo, too, so, it’s not good to be on my back. Lots of stuff to get better. But from five years ago, to get this win, was heavy on me.”
Dern has now strung together a pair of victories, as she picked up a three-round scorecard nod over Loopy Godinez last August as well. She previously hadn’t gone on a two-fight winning streak since 2021, and noted that consistency is important for her at the moment. Dern didn’t target a specific next opponent after her performance but said she mostly cares about securing a third consecutive win at the moment.
Dern is currently sixth in the strawweight rankings, one spot above where Ribas was placed before their meeting on Saturday. While the Brazilian vet mentioned after her fight that she has faced many of the division’s best in the past, matchups against higher-ranked talents like Amanda Lemos and Jessica Andrade are possible first-time pairings.
Ribas was coming back down to the strawweight limit following a high-level loss at flyweight last year, not being favored after five rounds against former champ Rose Namajunas.
It was an action-packed night at the APEX on Saturday, with eight other matchups ending via stoppage. The co-main event saw veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio outlast Carlston Harris in a back-and-forth brawl, finishing the Guyanese fighter in the third round.
Here are the quick results for UFC’s first show of the year:
Main Card (7:00PM EST / 4:00PM PST) (ESPN+)
Bout 14: Mackenzie Dern def. Amanda Ribas via Submission, Armbar (RD 3, 4:56)
Bout 13: Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Carlston Harris via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:13)
Bout 12: Cesar Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:16)
Bout 11: Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 4:59)
Bout 10: Christian Rodriguez def. Austin Bashi via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Punahele Soriano def. Uros Medic via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:31)
Preliminary Card (4:00PM EST / 1:00PM PST) (ESPN+)
Bout 8: Felipe Bunes def. Jose Johnson via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 2:04)
Bout 7: Marco Tulio def. Ihor Potieria via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:04)
Bout 6: Thiago Moises def. Trey Ogden via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Jacobe Smith def. Preston Parsons via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:13)
Bout 4: Ernesta Kareckaite def. Nicolle Caliari via Decision, Split
Bout 3: Bruno Lopes def. Magomed Gadzhiyasulov via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Fatima Kline def. Victoria Dudakova via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:27)
Bout 1: Nurullo Aliev def. Joe Solecki via Decision, Unanimous
Knockdown News 