Mackenzie Dern has just been booked for a rematch with Amanda Ribas at UFC Fight Night 249 on December 14th, 2024. This is the second time that the two women have fought in the promotion and it will be an opportunity for Dern to get revenge as well, because Ribas won their first fight by unanimous decision. That was actually the first loss that Dern suffered in her professional MMA career and no doubt it would mean a lot for her to get a win over Ribas in the rematch. The rematch carries a lot of importance for Ribas too, as she’s coming off a loss in her most recent fight.
The first fight between Dern and Ribas was all the way back in 2019, and both women have developed dramatically as fighters since then. Dern was still relatively new to the sport at the time and although she had an impressive 7-0 record, she had only been competing for a little over 3 years. Ribas wasn’t that much more experienced either, as she had put together a 7-1 record over the course of 5 years. They have both had wins and losses since then and each of them have held a four-fight winning streak in the UFC at one point.
Ribas is coming off a decision loss to Rose Namajunas with a 13-5 record, and she’s established herself as a well-rounded fighter in the top ten of both the flyweight and strawweight divisions. Dern on the other hand bounced back from a two-fight losing streak by beating Loopy Godinez in her most recent fight, and she now has a 14-5 record. Dern has managed to work on her striking a lot over the last few years but she is still a submission specialist above all else, finishing half her fights on the ground. They will be meeting at strawweight and as both Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas are ranked in the bottom half of the top 10, there’s a lot at stake for them in this rematch.