UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 took place on January 11, 2025, at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Mackenzie Dern finally avenged her loss against Amanda Ribas after three years by submittingthe latter. This war in straw weight was the front runner of a thrilling card that stood out tall.
During the entire time, Dern really showed improvement in both her striking and grappling technique. The first round was competitive but Dern cranked on pressure to wear Ribas down. As the 31-year old displayed her martial arts skills, the main event proved to be a real treat. An armbar submission came at 4:56 in the third round, causing Ribas to tap out. This was an important step in Dern’s career, showcasing her progress as a fighter.
In the co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio put on a pretty dominant performance against Carlston Harris. The former exhibited his prowess in striking precision and power leading to a TKO victory at the 3:13 mark of the third round. Harris displayed an impressive amount of resilience, but could not match up with the tempo and accurateness of Ponzinibbio. This turned into a significant comeback for Ponzinibbio.
Check out the results of the Fight Card from UFC Apex, Las Vegas below:
Results of the Fight Card
- Mackenzie Dern def. Amanda Ribas
- Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Carlston Harris
- Cesar Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan
- Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis
- Christian Rodriguez def. Austin Bashi
- Punahele Soriano def. Uros Medic
Conor McGregor and Former Champion Praise UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2
The UFC Fight Night event caught the eyeballs of several personalities in the MMA community. The list includes Conor McGregor and Henry Cejudo on top of that. Both fighters were fast with their opinions about the exciting night.
Conor McGregor took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his reaction about the main event. The Irishman was pleased with the fighters’ performance and called for a triology between the two fighters. His tweet read:
“Great fight! Awesome showcase! @MackenzieDern @amandaribasufc, an excellent rivalry between the two Brazilians! So good! 1 a piece now, I would definitely love to see this trilogy! #AwesomeMMA”
Fans jumped into the conversation lauding McGregor’s input. See below to view McGregor’s tweet:
Former UFC bantamweight champion, Henry Cejudo, had his take as well. He described the card as an exhibition of skills and heart. He complimented the fighters for their performances and gave his views on fight bonus. Cejudo’s reaction can be viewed below:
“#UFCVegas101 was a banger of a card!!! It’s gonna be a hard decision for @danawhite when deciding who’s going to get that bonus. I would personally give it to Cesinha Almeida, Mackenzie Dern, Felipe Bunes. Jacobe Smith too. Cut the check.”
That was one exciting night for the MMA fans but not for the bettors as Dern pulled of an upset. The betting favorites of UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 were in favor of Ribas. However, the event saw Mackenzie Dern avenge her past loss to Amanda Ribas.
The event getting praises from Conor McGregor and Henry Cejudo, made it much more popular as a must-see for MMA fans. After the completion of the event, the authorities will now turn their attention to UFC 311. Due to wildfires the event might get shifted but there is no confirmation yet.
Whether the event takes place as scheduled or get subjected to any changes remains to be seen. We will get all the answers as time passes by.
Sachin Singh 
REDDAVENI SAISNEHA 
Ashvinkumar Patil