Mackenzie Dern vs Amanda Ribas at UFC Fight Night 249 | Preview & Prediction
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We have a fantastic main event headlining UFC Fight Night 249 at the Apex in Las Vegas as Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas will be hoping a win puts them in touching distance of a title shot
Mackenzie Dern vs Amanda Ribas Facts
When is UFC Fight Night 249? UK – the preliminary card starts at 9:00pm on Saturday 11th January 2024, followed by the main card at 12:00am (Sunday) / USA – 4:00pm/7:00pm ET (Saturday) and 1:00pm/4:00pm PT (Saturday)
Where is UFC Fight Night 249? UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 249? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 249
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 249 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 249? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC Fight Night 249 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
What time are Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas expected to walk out? Sunday 12th January, 2025, 2:45am UK / Saturday 11th January, 9:45pm US ET / 6:45pm US PT
UFC Fight Night 249 Main Card Event
Mackenzie Dern vs Amanda Ribas (Women’s Strawweight)
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Carlston Harris (Welterweight)
Cesar Almeida vs Abdul Razak Alhassan (Middleweight)
Chris Curtis vs Roman Kopylov (Middleweight)
Christian Rodriguez vs Austin Bashi (Featherweight)
Punahele Soriano vs Uros Medic (Welterweight)
UFC Fight Night 249 Prelims
Jose Johnson vs Felipe Bunes (Flyweight)
Marco Tulio vs Ihor Potieria (Middleweight)
Thiago Moises vs Trey Ogden (Lightweight)
Ernesta Kareckaitė vs Nicolle Caliari (Women’s Flyweight)
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs Bruno Lopes (Light Heavyweight)
Fatima Kline vs Victoria Dudakova (Women’s Strawweight)
Preston Parsons vs Jacobe Smith (Welterweight)
Nurullo Aliev vs Joe Solecki (Lightweight)
Mackenzie Dern: Number six ranked strawweight desperate to avenge previous loss
Mackenzie Dern (14-5) managed to bounce back from back-to-back losses last time out as she grabbed a unanimous decision win over Loopy Godinez in August. That win in Abu Dhabi really was key in keeping her relevant in the strawweight rankings and in truth, she probably needs another one here if she is to remain in touching distance of a title shot.
Amanda Ribas: Brazilian star eager to bounce back to remain in title shot contention
Amanda Ribas (13-5) suffered a unanimous decision loss to Rose Namajunas last time out in March last year. That took her record to 13-5 and was her fourth loss in her last seven fights. She may be fighting at a high level but she firmly risks slipping down and potentially out of the top ten if she cannot get the win here.
Mackenzie Dern vs Amanda Ribas Prediction
The main event at UFC fight Night 249 sees a rematch from over five years ago and it was Amanda Ribas who picked up the win in the first fight. In October 2019, they met and it was Ribas who earned the unanimous decision so she comes in with a degree of confidence from that and Dern will be fired up to avenge it.
Both fighters have been involved in numerous Fight and Performance of the Night bouts and the match-up makes for a really entertaining bout.
They have had similar career paths in recent years however and not all of it has been positive. They find themselves in similar positions where a win keeps them relevant in the division but a loss will really knock them further down the top ten and potentially out of it.
This fight is a five-rounder and it will be interesting to see who that favours. Dern may prefer it and she possibly has the greater endurance although Ribas has the greater power and striking ability.
It feels like Dern will either win on the scorecards or Ribas will somehow get the stoppage. We lean towards the form and Dern’s durability being key to victory.
Prediction: Mackenzie Dern to win by decision
