Mackenzie Dern entering UFC Fight Night 249 headliner vs. Amanda Ribas with 'different type of confidence'

LAS VEGAS – Mackenzie Dern is feeling good ahead of her first career rematch.

The grappling star turned UFC fighter takes on Amanda Ribas in a strawweight bout that’s set to headline Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 249 at the UFC Apex. Dern (15-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) and Ribas (12-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) fought a little over five years ago at a UFC Fight Night event in Tampa, Fla., in October 2019.

At the time, Dern was undefeated in her professional MMA career with a record of 7-0. Fast-forward to now, and Dern has 11 more fights under her belt, fighting against the world’s best in her division.

“I feel like I was such a different person back then, I didn’t even feel like it was me,” Dern said at the UFC Fight Night 249 media day. “My overhand rights that I kind of threw out there I still have, the heart still there, but I feel like I’m a totally different person, and it was three rounds. I feel like we’re at totally different phases of our careers. I’ve evolved in striking, in wrestling, in takedowns, and just so much experience.

“Going back, I fought like Jessica (Andrade), Amanda Lemos, and all these girls that punch harder than Amanda (Ribas). Obviously, if any punch lands on the right spot, you can still knockout, but it’s a different type of confidence to me going into this fight now five years later than four months after my daughter was born and taking a little while off.”

On top of feeling like a different fighter this time around, the circumstances are much different. Prior to the first fight, Dern was coming off a long layoff due to the birth of her daughter. She obviously wasn’t fighting while pregnant, and she returned to the fight to fight Ribas just four months after giving birth.

“A little bit, yeah,” Dern said when asked if she regretted taking the first fight with Ribas. “I still think I would have losses in my career, and I’m still happy with where I am today. It’s made me who I am today, so I can’t totally regret, but I think if I could go back, I’d wait a little bit longer.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.