Last night in the main event of UFC Vegas 101, we saw a big time rematch in the strawweight division. Top ten contenders battled it out as Mackenzie Dern (15-5) took on Amanda Ribas (13-6) for the second time. Ribas was looking to win her second fight against Mackenzie Dern.
When these two first fought in 2019, Dern was coming back from maternity leave and Ribas was starting to make her name known inside the octagon. Ribas won the fight in convincing fashion and she was looking to double up Dern last night.
In the first round, Dern was able to secure a takedown and control the round. Ribas did the same thing in the second round. Ribas scored another takedown in the third and looked like she could easily go up 2-1 on the scorecards. That’s when Dern used an armbar attempt to reverse the position and end up in the mount.
Dern immediately attacked the armbar again and secured it getting the tap. It was a huge win for Dern at UFC Vegas 101 and Ribas suffered her second straight defeat.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 101?
Ribas returned to her natural strawweight following her main event loss to Rose Namajunas last year at flyweight. After this loss, I still expect Ribas to be ranked in the top ten in both weight classes so there are options for her next fight. That said, I’d love to see her stay down at 115 pounds.
With that, there are some interesting options for UFC matchmakers. I like the idea of Ribas potentially facing Tabatha Ricci next. Ricci is coming off a loss to Yan Xiaonan and it seemingly would make sense for both fighters. Gillian Robertson could be another option for Ribas next.