Ribas–Dern Rematch: From UFC Tampa to UFC Vegas 101
The UFC announced Amanda Ribas and Mackenzie Dern for a strawweight rematch after their first meeting ended with Ribas winning a unanimous decision in October 2019. The bout was initially booked for UFC Tampa in December 2024, then moved to headline UFC Vegas 101 on January 11, 2025, after Dern suffered an injury.
A rematch years in the making
Ribas handed Dern her first professional defeat in their 2019 bout, using her striking and grappling to earn the judges’ decision. Both went on to establish themselves among the UFC’s strawweight contenders, and a second meeting offered Dern a chance to even the series while Ribas sought a second win.
When the rematch was first announced in August 2024, it was scheduled for UFC Tampa on December 14. Dern’s injury changed the plan. The UFC rescheduled the contest as the main event of its first card of 2025, at the Apex in Las Vegas. That change meant the fight took place on January 11 rather than at Tampa.
How the second fight ended
Dern won the rematch by submission in the third round, evening the rivalry at one win apiece. The result turned the bout from a prospective matchup into a consequential chapter in both fighters’ careers and confirmed that their first encounter had not settled who held the edge between them.
The matchup drew interest because it paired Ribas’s adaptable approach with Dern’s high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Their second fight also showed how an injury can alter a UFC card’s schedule and elevate a bout to headline status.
Sources: MMA Fighting (2019 result); MMA Fighting (schedule change); UFC results.
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Tags: MMA
