Mackenzie Dern avenged her 2019 loss to Amanda Ribas with an armbar submission with four seconds remaining in the third round.
Here is a look at the spectacular and highly technical finish.
If you love mixed martial arts, UFC Apex 101 had a little bit of everything. The main event was for the grappling enthusiasts as Dern outgrappled Ribas en route to victory.
After she took the first round with a well-timed takedown, Dern lost the second frame when Ribas turned the tables, got her down, and maintained control.
In the third round, Ribas again got the takedown, but Dern showed her superiority on the ground, working from her back to set up an armbar she finished in the waning seconds of the third round.
The win gave Dern, the No. 6 fighter in the women’s strawweight division, two wins in a row. She also earned one of the Performance of the Night bonuses. The loss probably won’t drop Ribas below No. 8, but she is now on a two-fight losing streak.
Former UFC champions , Henry Cejudo and Conor McGregor sang the card’s praises.
Here is a look at the results from the first UFC event in 2025 and the bonus winners:
- Mackenzie Dern def. Amanda Ribas via third-round submission (armbar)
- Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Carlston Harris via third-round TKO
In the co-main event, Ponzinibbio had to dig deep, bounce back from knockdowns in the first round, and absorb more hard shots in the second frame to earn the third-round TKO victory.
Ponzinibbio needed the victory, and he got it with an entertaining and spectacular finish.
- Cesar Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan via first-round KO
Wow!
It’s the first event of the year, but we may not see another KO like this for the rest of 2025. Almeida was dropped early in the first round, but he got to his feet and countered a wild punch from Alhassan with a titanic left hook that put the latter out cold. Almeida earned a performance bonus for the finish.
- Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis via third-round TKO
What a great fight. Kopylov and Curtis battled for nearly 15 minutes, trading shots and standing toe-to-toe in the process. The fight ended with some controversy as referee Mark Smith waved it off with one second remaining.
Kopylov nailed Curtis with a head kick that scored a knockdown. Curtis was hurt but not out. Smith made the decision to stop the fight, causing an immediate angry reaction from Curtis.
Thankfully, Kopylov was almost certainly on his way to a decision victory, so Smith’s stoppage didn’t cost Curtis a win. The two warriors still earned the Fight of the Night bonus.
- Christian Rodriguez def. Austin Bashi via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Punahele Soriano def. Uros Medic via first-round TKO
- Felipe Bunes def. Jose Johnson via first-round submission (armbar)
- Marco Tulio def. Ihor Potieria via first-round KO
- Thiago Moises def. Trey Ogden via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
- Jacobe Smith def. Preston Parsons via first-round KO
Smith turned in the best performance of all the Contender Series fighters making their main roster debut. Smith’s explosiveness and punching power will marry well with his world-class wrestling.
- Ernesta Kareckaite def. Nicolle Caliari via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
- Bruno Lopes def. Magomed Gadzhiyasulov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Fatima Kline def. Viktoriia Dudakova via second-round TKO
- Nurullo Aliev def. Joe Solecki via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28×2)
