What’s next for Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas after UFC Vegas 101?

The UFC opened up 2025 with a strawweight main event as Mackenzie Dern took on Amanda Ribas on Saturday at UFC Vegas 101. The fight served as a rematch of their 2019 fight.

Dern entered the fight coming off a decision win over Loopy Godinez which snapped her two-fight losing streak. Ribas, meanwhile, was coming off a decision loss to Rose Namajunas at flyweight as she dropped back down to 115lbs.

In the end, it was Dern who exacted revenge for her 2019 loss as she submitted Ribas in the third round. Following the event, here is what I think should be next for the strawweight contenders.

Mackenzie Dern

Mackenzie Dern picked up a massive stoppage win over Amanda Ribas on Saturday. Dern fought well as her striking is looked much improved, while her grappling was dominant to get the submission win.

With the win, Dern is back in the title picture at 115lbs. Virna Jandiroba appears to be next in line for the winner of Weili Zhang vs Tatiana Suarez, despite Dern having a win over Jandiroba. A rematch makes sense, but ultimately, the fight to make is Dern vs Yan Xiaonan 2, as the first fight was a majority win for Xiaonan in 2022. The winner would get a title shot.

Amanda Ribas

Amanda Ribas had a chance to get back into title contention at strawweight against Mackenzie Dern at UFC Vegas 101 but she came up short. Ribas struggled on the mat and was submitted by an armbar in the third round.

With the loss, Ribas is now 13-6 and will need a step-down in competition. The Brazilian will likely fight someone outside the top-10 and a logical matchup is against Gillian Robertson. The Canadian is on a three-fight winning streak and deserves a chance at a top-10 opponent.

It would also be a test for Ribas to fight another grappler and prove she learned from the loss to Dern.