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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
UFC strawweight Mackenzie Dern avenged a loss from five years ago to Amanda Ribas on Saturday, as she submitted Ribas via armbar with just four seconds remaining in the third round.
A submission specialist, Dern (15-5) used the threat of an armbar off her back to sweep into full mount late in the round. Once there, she isolated Ribas’ left arm, which produced the tap.
The 115-pound bout headlined the UFC’s first event of 2025, inside its Apex facility in Las Vegas.
“It sucks when you’re so close (to a submission) and the time is almost over,” Dern said. “So to get the tap, I’m very happy. I’m trying to work on my striking, work on my takedowns. (Ribas) is such a tough fighter with her judo. We still have work to do, but it’s great to get this win from five years ago.”
Ribas (13-6) defeated Dern in a three-round decision in 2019. She stuffed all six of Dern’s takedown attempts in that initial meeting, which led to an advantage on strikes when they fought on their feet and the ground.
Ribas did a good job defending Dern’s wrestling again Saturday, but Dern set up submissions from her back and created scrambles to change positions.
It’s a huge victory for Dern, who has dominated nonranked competition but has struggled to string wins against more elite competition. She went into Saturday’s main event as the UFC’s No. 6-ranked strawweight. She is now on a two-fight win streak, including a decision over Lupita Godinez in August. Ribas was ranked No. 8 entering the weekend.
Dern, 31, transitioned into MMA in 2016, and has been a bit of a work in progress throughout much of her UFC career. She outlanded Ribas in total strikes 98-80 on Saturday and cut her with an elbow off her back in the second round. She was 0-for-6 in takedown attempts during their 2019 meeting.
Dern already has fought four of the five title contenders ranked ahead of her, with an overall record of 1-3. She declined to call out a future opponent. The only woman ranked ahead of her, Tatiana Suarez, is currently booked to challenge defending champion Zhang Weili at UFC 312 in February. The outcome of that fight should impact Dern’s eventual title path.