Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas Prediction

Prediction, Odds & Betting Tips for Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas at UFC Fight Night 249

Where: UFC Apex. Las Vegas, Nevada
When: Sunday, January 12, 05:00 AM

The battle between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas could have major implications for the UFC strawweight division. These two girls are in the top 10, and whoever wins here could earn a ticket for a significant event. Both are waiting for the chance to attack the belt in the division, and be sure that the winner here could directly challenge the champion, Zhang Weili.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas Preview

Mackenzie Dern

The 31-year-old is entering her prime with 14 wins and five losses. She comes into this battle as one of the best grapplers in the division, proven by her method of wins—7 via decision and 7 by submission. Interestingly, she never won by KO.

She is one of the most decorated grappling and jiu-jitsu fighters in the world, having received numerous accolades in this category before switching to MMA. It’s no wonder that wrestling and battling on the ground are her biggest strengths.

However, her results in the UFC haven’t been that consistent. She only recently got back to the winning column by beating Loopy Godines, and before that, we saw her lose to Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos, two of the elite fighters in the division. In the past, Dern defeated some big names too, like Angela Hill or Virna Jandiroba.

Amanda Ribas

Ribas has been searching for her place in the UFC and has recently switched divisions. Her last event was in the flyweight division, where she lost to Rose Namajunas via split decision. But prior to that, the Brazilian was better than Luana Pinheiro (strawweight battle), whom she spectacularly knocked out via a spinning wheel kick.

In 18 MMA appearances, she won 13 and lost five, and the method of her wins is pretty diverse – five decision victories, four submissions, and four KOs.

What we can say here is that she, too, had inconsistent stretches in recent times. Over the last seven bouts, Ribas subsequently posted losses and wins, losing to Katlyn Cookagian, Maycee Barber, and Marina Rodriguez. The wins were against Paige VanZant, Virna Jandiroba, Viviane Araujo, and Luana Pinheiro.

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Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas Head to Head

The two met in 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson, and Ribas won the fight unanimously.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas Prediction

Overall, Ribas is a strong favorite here and we are on her side when it comes to the winner of this contest. Why? She is more versatile and knows how to deal with dominant grapplers. Also, her stand-up is way better than Dern’s, and it’s questionable whether Dern will even have a chance to get the fight down to the mat.

Our verdict: Amanda Ribas wins