Mackenzie Dern reflects on first Amanda Ribas loss, ‘completely different person’ now
Mackenzie Dern faces Amanda Ribas nearly 2,000 days after the Brazilian handed her the first loss of her MMA career in Tampa, Fla., in a unanimous decision. They now rematch after competing across the world under the UFC banner, and Dern feels confident she’s a different woman this time around.
Dern entered the octagon to face Ribas for the first time since giving birth to her daughter Moa and now admits she wasn’t ready to fight.
“In my head, it feels like I wasn’t even there,” Dern told MMA Fighting. “It doesn’t even look like it was me fighting there. The body, both physically and in terms of hormones, in terms of training and coaches and stuff like that. She was more experienced and well-prepared than I was at the time. I even think I fought well, given the circumstances.”
Dern said she only re-watched that strawweight bout a couple of times in the past five years, admitting that “I kind of wanted to forget that it happened.” The jiu-jitsu ace was 7-0 in the sport at the time and 2-0 in the UFC and said the only reason she fought was to get back in rhythm after “a long break” in pregnancy.
Ribas was also young in the game, 1-0 inside the octagon and 7-1 overall as a professional.
“Losses don’t mean that much in jiu-jitsu, you know?” Dern said. “You can have 10 losses and it doesn’t affect your record. If you have 100 wins, you’re fine. You lose to a girl today and can fight her again next week. I wanted to fight as quickly as possible so I wouldn’t stay away much longer. I knew that the odds of me losing were a bit higher, but I still believed I could win. I still think I could have won despite my conditions. It was my first loss, and now I understand MMA. I understand that records make a difference, winning streaks. Being an undefeated athlete is intimidating, people respect you more.
“I think [that loss] changed the course of my career. Maybe I could have waited a little longer, but I thought I was fine. I should have waited. I think I would still have lost in my career, it’s not like I would have never lost. It’s like the Amanda Lemos fight in Anaheim [in February 2024]. Now, when I look at my record, I’m like, damn, three of my last five fights are losses. But it was kind of on short notice after Tatiana [Suarez] pulled out. The Amanda Lemos fight, I think that was worth it. But the Amanda Ribas fight, I think I should have waited. But it’s part of our careers, it helps us grow. I’m more calm and patient now. I’m still working on that now that, and I’m 31 now.”
Dern won four in a row after that Ribas defeat in 2019, tapping out the likes of Nina Nunes, Randa Markos, and Hannah Cifers, plus a decision over Virna Jandiroba. She likes the Ribas rematch as a way to show her evolution over the past few years.
“People don’t see much different fight after fight, but a rematch after five years, people will see how much I’ve evolved,” Dern said. “The goal is to win. I don’t have in my head that I want to submit her, that I want to knock her out, that I want to win the Fight of the Night bonus. I think we have what it takes to do all that, but the idea is to win. Being five rounds is great. I’m more calm now, I feel I can strike now. I’m not a striker, but I get it now. As grapplers, we tend to rush for takedowns with zero distance. I do want to take her down, that’s the goal, but I feel comfortable [on the feet] now. It’s not that rush to shoot like crazy and fight with no technique if I get punched.
“I didn’t see, imagine myself as a champion back then, and I see that potential now. I’m a completely different person, you know? I think Amanda is still the same, honestly. She’s gotten better as an athlete, as a woman, has more experience, but I don’t see many differences in her game. I think I’ve changed a lot. Wins and losses might still come, obviously, but I think she’ll be more surprised dealing with me in these five rounds than I’ll be at her.”