It’s time to get straight again to enterprise for the UFC as the primary struggle card of 2025 goes down in Las Vegas this weekend.
UFC Struggle Evening: Dern vs. Ribas Fundamental Card Preview
Time strikes shortly within the chaotic world of MMA…besides through the UFC’s winter break. By the point the motion will get underway underneath the lights within the Apex this Saturday evening, 4 weeks can have handed since we noticed Joaquin Buckley defeat former welterweight title contender Colby Covington within the closing predominant occasion of 2024.
For keen followers the world over these 4 weeks might have felt like a lifetime, however the wait is lastly over. Let’s check out the fights that make up the principle card of the primary UFC occasion of the brand new yr.
Fundamental Occasion: Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
A high ten conflict within the ladies’s strawweight division headlines the cardboard as Mackenzie Dern (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and Amanda Ribas (13-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) meet contained in the Octagon for the second time. The pair first locked horns manner again in October of 2019, with Ribas rising victorious on that event by the use of unanimous determination.
Each fighters had been comparatively inexperienced after they met that evening in Tampa, with the bout being simply Ribas’s second look within the UFC, and Dern’s third. Each have loved respectable runs of type at occasions throughout the promotion since however have stuttered of late, with every fighter dropping three of their final 5 fights.
Mackenzie Dern’s final look within the Octagon got here in August when she beat Crazy Godinez by unanimous determination in Abu Dhabi, though the previous Brazilian jiu jitsu world champion did see some extra aggressive motion later that very same month when she confronted Ffion Davies in a grappling match on the Craig Jones Invitational, dropping by armbar.
Amanda Ribas will probably be coming off a barely longer layoff. The 31-year-old hasn’t fought since dropping towards former champion Rose Namajunas in a flyweight contest final March.
With strawweight champion Weili Zhang lined as much as face primary contender Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312 subsequent month, the time is now for the remainder of the chasing pack at 115 lbs to seek out some type, string some performances (and wins) collectively and throw their hat within the ring for the subsequent title shot. The Dern vs. Ribas struggle will probably be among the many ones to observe on Saturday.
Dern vs. Ribas Co-Fundamental Occasion: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Carlston Harris
Proper earlier than Dern vs. Ribas, a possible struggle of the evening candidate between two veterans takes place within the welterweight division as 38-year-old Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC) takes on 37-year-old Carlston Harris (19-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC).
Ponzinibbio comes into this struggle in determined want of a win. The “Argentine Dagger” has discovered the going fairly powerful of late, dropping 4 of his final 5 bouts. After a promising starting to his UFC profession the place he picked up victories over stellar opponents akin to Sean Strickland, Gunnar Nelson, Mike Perry and Neil Magny, the American High Workforce consultant will probably be hoping to redicover among the magic that has helped him decide up six KO wins in his UFC profession to this point.
Carlston Harris tasted simply 90 seconds of aggressive motion in 2024, as he suffered a first-round knockout defeat by the hands of Khaos Williams final Might. Previous to that nonetheless, “Mocambique” had gained 4 of his first 5 fights within the UFC along with his solely defeat throughout that run coming by the hands of Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Harris is called considerably of a submission specialist and has a penchant for anacaonda and d’arce chokes and the Guyana-born star would love nothing greater than changing into the primary fighter to ever submit Santiago Ponzinibbio this Saturday evening.
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cesar Almeida
One other pair of elder statesmen, this time within the middleweight division, additionally meet on the Dern vs. Ribas predominant card as 39-year-old Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) takes on 36-year-old Cesar Almeida (6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
Alhassan introduced his arrival within the UFC again in 2016 by successful 4 of his first 5 fights within the Octagon all contained in the opening spherical. His devastating energy proved an excessive amount of for the likes of Charlie Ward and Sabah Homasi to deal with, however as soon as he started to face a better high quality of opponent he started to battle. Having misplaced 5 out of seven bouts between 2020-2023, he may have finished with out his struggle towards Cody Brundage final july turning out the way in which it did.
Alhassan unleashed a barrage of elbows on Brundage as he was defending a takedown, with fairly a number of touchdown on the again of Brundage’s head. After referee dan Miragliotta intervened to subject Alhassan a warning, Brundage was deemed unable to proceed and the bout was declared a “no contest”.
Cesar Almieda comes into this saturday’s card off the again of a busy 2024. The Dana White’s Contender Sequence alumni picked up wins over Dylan Budka and Ihor Potieria, both facet of a defeat to Roman Kopylov. The Sao Paulo native is a relative newcomer to MMA however has had an extended and storied profession within the kickboxing ring. He confronted present UFC mild heavyweight champion Alex Pereira 3 times from 2013 to 2015, choosing up a victory over “Poatan” in his hometown eleven years in the past.
Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov
Extra middleweight motion takes place on the Dern vs. Ribas predominant card as “The Motion Man” Chris Curtis (31-11 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will get his first style of motion since a defeat by the hands of Brendan Allen final April. He faces Roman Kopylov (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) who has gained 5 of his final six bouts, together with that aforementioned cut up determination win over Cesar Almeida in 2024.
Curtis has struggled to string wins collectively of late however holds noteable victories over Brendan Allen, Rodolfo Viera and Joaquin Buckley, and on his day generally is a difficult opponent for anybody at 185 lbs.
Austin Bashi vs. Christian Rodriguez
Unbeaten featherweight prospect Austin Bashi (13-0) makes the stroll to the Octagon throughout Dern vs. Ribas for the primary time following his submission victory over Dorian Ramos on Dana White’s Contender Sequence in September. Bashi brings a powerful grappling pedigree into this contest, however faces a stiff take a look at in Christian Rodriguez (13-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) who, previous to his most up-to-date loss by the hands of Julian Erosa, had gained 4 fights on the bounce.
Punahele Soriano vs. Uros Medic
The Dern vs. Ribas predominant card opener options two welterweights who’ve been busy amassing KO victories contained in the Octagon over the previous couple of years. Out of Hawaii’s Punahele Soriano (10-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) and Serbia’s Uros Medic’s (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) eight mixed UFC victories, seven have come by the use of knockout. Count on fireworks.
