Dana White and the UFC believe in Mackenzie Dern’s drawing power. The strawweight contender’s fight against Amanda Ribas has been moved from UFC Tampa on December 14 to the main event spot for UFC Vegas 101 at the Apex in Las Vegas.
Most UFC fighters prefer to compete in an arena with the full complement of fans over the intimate Apex setting. However, Dern and Ribas will likely earn a bit more for their efforts, landing in the top spot.
Dern is coming off a unanimous decision win over Lupita Gonzalez in August. Pushing the fight back also provides her with an additional month to train and recover before facing Ribas.
In March, Ribas lost a unanimous decision to Rose Namajunas and will be looking to rebound from the defeat. It won’t be easy for her. Dern already owns a unanimous decision win over Ribas from 2019. While the rematch could unfold differently, Dern has every reason to approach the fight with confidence.
Currently ranked No. 6, another win over Ribas could secure Dern a fight against someone in the Top 5. Alternatively, Dern or Ribas could be next for rising Brazilian star Iasmin Lucindo. Lucindo, ranked No. 7 between Dern and Ribas, has title contention on her mind.
Lucindo’s recent unanimous decision victory over Marina Rodriguez solidified her place in the Top 10, making her a strong candidate for a future title eliminator.
Here is the full UFC Vegas 101 card, with Dern and Ribas headlining.
UFC Vegas 101 Card
Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
Weight Class: Women’s Strawweight (115 lbs)
Thiago Moisés vs. Trey Ogden
Weight Class: Lightweight (155 lbs)
Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov
Weight Class: Middleweight (185 lbs)
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Carlston Harris
Weight Class: Welterweight (170 lbs)
Austin Bashi vs. Christian Rodriguez
Weight Class: Featherweight (145 lbs)
Ernesta Kareckaite vs. Nicolle Caliari
Weight Class: Women’s Flyweight (125 lbs)
Punahele Soriano vs. Uroš Medić
Weight Class: Welterweight (170 lbs)
Andreas Gustafsson vs. Preston Parsons
Weight Class: Welterweight (170 lbs)
José Johnson vs. Felipe Bunes
Weight Class: Flyweight (125 lbs)
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Bruno Lopes
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. César Almeida
Weight Class: Middleweight (185 lbs)
Nurullo Aliev vs. Yanal Ashmouz
Weight Class: Lightweight (155 lbs)
Victoria Dudakova vs. Fatima Kline
Weight Class: Women’s Strawweight (115 lbs)
The Apex has become a pivotal venue for developing fighters and rescheduled matchups since the pandemic, giving UFC Vegas 101 a mix of established names and rising prospects. Still, fans and fighters should prepare to see events in the venue a lot less frequently in 2025.
White has already said the promotion will be doing more Fight Night events in arenas and that means fewer Apex shows. Staples like Ultimate Fighters and Dana White Contender Series will still live at the Apex, but the bigger events will be hitting the road.
Next up is UFC 310 on Saturday. It takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defending his title against Kai Asakura in the latter’s promotional debut.
Shavkat Rakhmonov will meet Ian Machado Garry in the co-main event. Be on the lookout for fight week coverage on the last pay-per-view of the year.
