UFC Vegas 101 Dern vs Ribas 2: Full Breakdown
The UFC returns to action this Saturday, January 11th from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main event on this card is an intriguing rematch between two of the top strawweights Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas. The Prelims start at 4:00 p.m EST with the main card starting at 7:00 p.m EST. We breakdown who will prevail and why this rematch could potentially go different than the first time.
Mackenzie Dern is the number six fighter in the Strawweight Division. At only 31 years old Mackenize Dern has not yet been able to live up to the championship level potential she came into with in 2018. Her grappling and jiu-jitsu ability is second to none with multiple Brazilian jiu-jitsu world titles to her name. She has had an up and down career so far but with an impressive win to close out her 2024 campaign against Loopy Godinez, she looks to carry over that momentum and do something she has not been able to do since 2020. That's to win back to back fights.
Amanda Ribas is the number eight fighter in the 115 pound division. She is also ranked No.10 in the 125 pound division as well. She has been very close numerous times to potentially earning herself a title shot. She came up short against Katlyn Chookagian in 2022 and recently lost her last time out against Rose Namajunas. She looks to bounce back against an opponent she has already beaten.
The first time these two shared the octagon, Dern landed 20 of 145 significant strikes for a measly landing rate of 13 percent. Ribas connected on 74 of her 206 attempted significant strikes for a landing rate of 35 percent. Dern failed on all six of her takedown attempts, while Ribas hit both of her takedown attempts. Ribas has an 88% takedown defense and that showed as the main reason why she won the first fight. If this fight is kept on the feet it will play out the same way with Ribas having more output and cleaner combinations in the pocket than Dern. However, Dern has used her striking beautifully recently to help better set up her takedowns. If she is able to get this fight to the floor she could easily finish the fight at any time. Even if she doesn’t get the submission she could wear on Ribas and allow the takedowns to come more easily as the fight continues. If Ribas is able to once again stuff the takedowns coming her way she will be able to pick her apart and edge out a decision victory once again. This fight is one you don’t want to miss. Come back after the fight card is over as we will break down the entire event.
