The first UFC card of 2025 turned out to be a solid one, with the featured strawweight main event between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas. After a loss to Rose Namajunas in March of last year, Amanda Ribas returned to the strawweight category with her sights set on a top 5 spot; however, her plans have now been foiled by Mackenzie Dern.

In the rematch that gave her the chance to get revenge against Ribas for her 2019 loss, the 31-year-old managed to become the first-ever fighter to make her Brazilian opponent submit. It was a BJJ masterclass that saw Dern make perfect adjustments during her many scramblings against Ribas. However, things came to an end when she gained mount, punched the face of her opponent to create an opening, and finally locked in an armbar in the third round.

This truly impressed many fans and pundits alike. One of the ones who was all praise for the fighter was Conor McGregor. Taking on his X account, ‘The Notorious’ praised the two fighters for delivering such an exciting matchup. In awe of the nail-biting thriller offered tonight, the Irishman asked for a third match between the two Brazilians, “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”

Mackenzie Dern is currently sixth in the strawweight rankings and entered the Octagon after a victory against the Mexican Lupita Godínez in August of last year. Now this major win would surely land her a step closer to the title picture with a possible one- or two-spot movement to the top of the list. As for Ribas, she is the current number 8 in the official ranking. The athlete from Minas Gerais usually alternates between two weight divisions, but she had almost four years of undefeated streak at 115 lbs. But now, the streak has been broken, and so has the record of her never tapping out to her opponent. But what changes did Mackenzie Dern make this time to win the fight?

Mackenzie Dern claims to be more evolved

Mackenzie Dern returned to active duty on October 12, 2019, four months after giving birth to her daughter Moa, and suffered her first MMA loss against fellow Brazilian Amanda Ribas. Now, she faced Ribas once again and gave the performance of a lifetime. So, what changed this time? Well, according to Dern, the jiu-jitsu black belt is betting on her evolution as a fighter to take revenge for the setback suffered five years ago.

During her appearance at the UFC Vegas 101 media day, Dern emphasized her technical development as well as the experience she gained during this time to justify her optimism for the rematch. Confident, the strawweight went on to describe herself as a different person than when she fought Amanda Ribas back in October 2019. She said that in her head, Dern felt like she wasn’t even there during the first fight against Ribas.

“The body, both physically and in terms of hormones, in terms of training and coaches and stuff like that. She was more experienced and well-prepared than I was at the time.” However, this time around, things are much different. She further added, “I’m more calm and patient now. I’m still working on that now that, and I’m 31 now.” The evolution truly showed, and fans are loving it. But what do you think? Is Dern good enough for the title picture now? Let us know in the comments.