What Subsequent For Mackenzie Dern?
The primary combat card of 2025 is within the historical past books, and what a begin to the yr it proved to be. Mackenzie Dern (15-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) pulled off a picture-perfect armbar end over Amanda Ribas (13-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) within the third spherical of an enthralling primary occasion, whereas the remainder of the UFC Vegas 101: Dern vs. Ribas 2 combat card delivered an avalanche of spectacular knockout finishes.
UFC debutatants Jacobe Smith and Marco Tulio introduced their arrival into the large leagues with devastating finishes over Preston Parsons and Ihor Potieria, whereas Cesar Almeida pulled off an early contender for 2025’s ‘knockout of the yr’ as he flatlined Abdul Razak Alhassan.
FINISHED THE JOB IN THE FIRST ROUND 💥
Cesar Almeida took care of enterprise at #UFCVegas101! pic.twitter.com/KGswlx4ejo
— UFC (@ufc) January 12, 2025
A Enormous Victory In The Major Occasion for Mackenzie Dern
As spectacular as a few of the performances on the cardboard could have been, none of them had been executed by ranked fighters. Besides, after all, that primary occasion between Dern and Ribas.
Each fighters got here into this one sitting fairly within the prime ten of the ladies’s strawweight rankings. Mackenzie Dern in sixth, two locations above Ribas, whom she misplaced to in her third UFC look approach again in 2019.
Having already been above Ribas within the standings previous to beating her on Saturday night time, Dern is unlikely to see any change in that regard when the rankings are up to date within the coming days. That isn’t to say, nevertheless, that she doesn’t stand to realize ahead momentum from her spectacular victory.
The place Do We Go From Right here After Mackenzie Dern’s Win Over Ribas?
Regardless of the emphatic nature of her win in Saturday’s primary occasion, Mackenzie Dern was reluctant to name her shot throughout her post-fight interview. “I simply wish to get one other win in a row” she instructed Michael Bisping within the Octagon after the combat. “I don’t know who that will likely be (in opposition to), I’d hope somebody in entrance however I’ve fought virtually everybody in entrance. The one one (I haven’t fought) I believe is Tatiana (Suarez) and he or she’s going for the belt, so I don’t know. We’ll see”.
Tatiana Suarez (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), the quantity one-ranked challenger within the strawweight division, is booked to problem Weili Zhang (25-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) for her strawweight title within the co-main occasion at UFC 312 in Australia subsequent month.
In between Dern and Suarez within the rankings sit 4 fighters who Dern has confronted earlier than. Virna Jandiroba (third place) who Dern beat at UFC 256 simply over 4 years in the past, and the trio of Yan Xiaonan (2nd place), Jessica Andrade (4th place) and Amanda Lemos (fifth place), who’ve all defeated Mackenzie Dern since 2022.
Mackenzie Dern is among the extra marketable belongings the UFC has in its feminine divisions. This previous weekend was her third time headlining a UFC occasion and it’s doubtless the matchmakers will search for the rankings when it comes time to pick out her subsequent opponent, though a title cost doesn’t appear to be a precedence for the 31-year-old.
“My concept isn’t to go combat for the belt after which lose it quick” she instructed reporters on the post-fight press convention. “My concept is to get the belt and I wish to be, like, a dominant champion, you realize? So I’m not in a rush to get there, I wish to have good fights and I wish to make an announcement”.
Who Are The Most Probably Choices To Face Mackenzie Dern?
No matter Dern’s needs to take her time and deal with her growth somewhat than gatecrash the title dialogue, her two-fight profitable streak separates her from a few of the chasing pack at 115 lbs.
Jessica Andrade is coming off a loss (in opposition to Natalia Silva in September) in her final outing, whereas Amanda Lemos is already booked to face Iasmin Lucindo at UFC 313 in March. This leaves solely Virna Jandiroba and Yan Xiaonan (19-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) as viable choices of the UFC are to pair Dern with a higher-ranked opponent.
Xiaonan obtained a shot on the title at UFC 300 final April however got here up brief in opposition to the champion, however the Staff Alpha Male consultant bounced again with a masterful efficiency over 5 rounds in opposition to Tabatha Ricci in her native China in November, and it’s doable she might face Mackenzie Dern in a ‘primary contender’ match-up subsequent day out.
Jandiroba (21-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is using a four-fight profitable streak since dropping to Amanda Ribas at UFC 267 again in 2021 and the Brazilian would absolutely chunk the UFC’s hand off for the chance to avenge her loss to Dern in December of 2020.
It’s additionally doable the UFC matchmakers may even see Jandiroba as a barely simpler choice for Mackenzie Dern within the occasion that they wish to shoehorn her into the title image on the expense of Yan Xiaonan.
Both approach, Dern’s efficiency on the UFC Apex on Saturday night time supplied some compelling proof that the previous BJJ world champion is rising and bettering as a fighter and her win over Ribas will has helped her collect up a head of steam going into 2025. Large alternatives are on the horizon for the Phoenix, Arizona native.
