Mackenzie Dern is not motivated by vengeance but can avenge her first mixed martial arts loss on Saturday. Dern runs it back with Amanda Ribas at UFC Fight Night, five years after Ribas scrubbed the zero from Dern's record.
Dern (14-5) is a curious case in MMA. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star's evolution as a mixed martial artist has occurred completely in the public eye. A one-dimensional fighter when she debuted in 2016, Dern's striking and offensive wrestling have improved admirably. However, her defensive striking has plagued her against fellow contenders like Amanda Lemos and Jessica Andrade. Staying composed under fire is hard to train, but she's confident she can conquer it. A win over Ribas (No. 8) won't do much for Dern (No. 6) in the UFC's official women's strawweight rankings, but winning consecutive fights for the first time in four years gives her the momentum to make another run at the top five.
UFC Fight Night 249 lineup
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
- Carlston Harris vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
- Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cesar Almeida
- Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov
- Austin Bashi vs. Christian Rodriguez
- Uros Medic vs. Punahele Soriano
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
- Felipe Bunes vs. Jose Johnson
- Ihor Potieria vs. Marco Tulio
- Thiago Moises vs. Trey Ogden
- Preston Parsons vs. Jacobe Smith
- Nicolle Caliari vs. Ernesta Kareckaite
- Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Bruno Lopes
- Viktoriia Dudakova vs. Fatima Kline
- Nurullo Aliev vs. Joe Solecki
"I've been working so hard on not turning my back, circling out and not lifting my chin," Dern told CBS Sports. "Defending myself while I'm backing out. I'm trying to work that composure and I think I'm getting better, I really think it's going to come out in this fight with Amanda. I don't see her hitting hard like Jessica Andrade, Amanda Lemos or Yan Xionan."
Ribas (13-5) is a reliable hand for the UFC. The bubbly Brazilian is one of two fighters, along with Max Holloway, actively ranked in two separate UFC divisions. Like Dern, Ribas has struggled with consistency. Ribas has been unable to string together a winning streak after going 4-0 in the UFC. Ribas told CBS Sports that her future is as a strawweight. While Ribas will consider opportunities to fight at women's flyweight, she sees a clearer path to a UFC title at 115 pounds.
"I'm closer to the title at strawweight," Ribas told CBS Sports. "The biggest challenge fighting in two divisions is the weight. It's not easy to gain and lose muscle. When I drop weight, I lose muscle as well."et sdg dfh