Category: Videos

UFC Fight Night 249 video: Mackenzie Dern, Amanda Ribas make weight in Las Vegas

The main event for the UFC’s first show of the new year is official after the headliners made weight Friday.

LAS VEGAS – The main event for the UFC’s first show of the new year is official after the headliners made weight Friday.

Ahead of UFC Fight Night 249 (ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex, women’s strawweight standouts Mackenzie Dern (15-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) and Amanda Ribas (12-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) stepped on the scale for their rematch at the official weigh-ins.

Check out the video from their trips to the scale above.

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

UFC Fight Night 249 weigh-in results: Two heavy for first card of 2025

Check out the UFC Fight Night 249 weigh-in results from Las Vegas, featuring Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas 2.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC Fight Night 249 (ESPN+) fighter weigh-ins.

Among those weighing in were women’s strawweight standouts Mackenzie Dern (15-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) and Amanda Ribas (12-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC), who meet in a rematch in the main event, and Carlston Harris (19-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC), who fight in the welterweight co-feature.

All those fighters made weight, but that wasn’t the case for prelim fighters Jose Johnson and Ihor Potieria, who were each multiple pounds overweight for their respective matchups.

The full UFC Fight Night 249 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Mackenzie Dern (116) vs. Amanda Ribas (116)
  • Carlston Harris (170) vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (171)
  • Abdul Razak Alhassan (185.5) vs. Cesar Almeida (185.5)
  • Chris Curtis (185.5) vs. Roman Kopylov (185.5)
  • Austin Bashi (145.5) vs. Christian Rodriguez (145)
  • Uros Medic (171) vs. Punahele Soriano (171)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

  • Felipe Bunes (126) vs. Jose Johnson (128.5)*
  • Ihor Potieria (188)** vs. Marco Tulio (185.5)
  • Thiago Moises (155.5) vs. Trey Ogden (155.5)
  • Preston Parsons (171) vs. Jacobe Smith (170.5)
  • Nicolle Caliari (125.5) vs. Ernesta Kareckaite (126)
  • Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (205) vs. Bruno Lopes (205.5)
  • Viktoriia Dudakova (116) vs. Fatima Kline (116)
  • Nurullo Aliev (155.5) vs. Joe Solecki (155)

* Johnson missed flyweight limit by 2.5 pounds; fine amount TBD
** Potieria missed middleweight limit by 2 pounds; fine amount TBD

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

UFC’s Steve Garcia hopes to command respect with knockout of Edson Barboza

Steve Garcia isn’t about to “act a fool” in order to get more attention ahead of his UFC Seattle clash with Edson Barboza.

With a five-fight knockout streak inside the octagon, [autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] thinks he should be a bigger talking point going into UFC Fight Night 252.

After a string of definitive performances, Garcia (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will get his biggest test to date when he takes on legendary striker Edson Barboza (24-12 MMA, 18-12 UFC) in a featherweight bout on the Feb. 22 card at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle (ESPN+).

Although some are acknowledging his work, as MMA Junkie did by naming him the 2024 Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year, Garcia admits he’s not feeling the love across the board.

“I’m definitely under the radar,” Garcia told MMA Junkie Radio. “I don’t feel like I get the respect that I’d like to think I probably deserve. But that said, each person’s opinion (is different). I’ve read articles where people don’t think I’m championship quality, people don’t think I’m ranked quality. They can think what they want to think. Every win in my UFC career is a finish. I’m not barely skating by. I’m not barely getting wins. I’ve been finishing all my opposition.”

Garcia, 32, understands the lack of attention around his name is partially of his own doing. As good as his fighting has been, Garcia, an honorable mention in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie featherweight rankings, said he could do a better job playing the game outside of the cage.

It’s not his nature to play that game, however, and if taking a longer road to the top is a consequence of not demeaning himself, then Garcia said he’s accepting of that fate.

“I want to be must-see TV,” Garcia said. “I’m not going to be acting a fool. If you want that out of me, and I’m not saying I won’t talk – there’s times and places for everything, but I’m not a clown. If I wanted to act a fool, I would’ve joined the circus. I’m not trying to make a fool out of myself. My parents didn’t raise me that way. I’m here to be as professional as I possibly can be, and if people want to hop on board, thank you very much. If you don’t, at least you’re going to have something to root for, whether it’s against me or for me. But I promise you’ll be entertained.”

Not much promotional effort is needed to generate excitement between Garcia and Barboza. The highlight reels on both sides are enough to know a Performance of the Night or Fight of the Night bonus is likely being issued after it’s done.

That’s what Garcia is chasing, he said, and he expects Barboza to be a willing participant in the style of fight he’s looking for.

“Sometimes you don’t got to control the chaos, you’ve got to thrive in it,” Garcia said. “I feel like, especially in my fights, that’s where I’ve been the most successful. The moment that chaos happens I seem to find my best shots. I’m hoping that’s what’s going to happen in Seattle. I think Edson’s notorious for welcoming a good striking match, and this is MMA, we get it, it can go up and down and it doesn’t matter, but at least in my eyes, let’s give the fans what they want to see and just go for it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.

UFC Fight Night 249 preview: Can Mackenzie Dern beat Amanda Ribas in rematch?

On “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel breaks down the UFC Fight Night 249 main event rematch between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas.

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] and [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] are running this back this weekend.

The two UFC strawweight contenders meet in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 249 at the UFC Apex. It’s a rematch that’s been five years in the making. The two first met in October 2019, and Ribas was able to hand Dern her first professional defeat.

How much have these two fighters evolved since their first fight? Can Dern even out the score against Ribas?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia break down Saturday’s UFC main event, along with some other highlighted bouts on the card.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

https://youtube.com/live/qi0kZ8xt43U


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Usman Nurmagomedov clarifies Khabib’s Dagestan vs. Ireland MMA comments

Usman Nurmagomedov hopes the Dagestan vs. Ireland comparison remains purely about MMA.

[autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] hopes the Dagestan vs. Ireland comparison remains purely about MMA.

Usman’s cousin, [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag], riled up the Irish fighters and fans when he said that unlike Dagestan, Ireland hasn’t really produced anyone of note outside of Conor McGregor and Paul Hughes.

Nurmagomedov agrees, but doesn’t like how the debate has transcended MMA.

“If we’re talking about levels, of course we can talk a lot, but we have facts,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie. “Bellator champion: Some Irish have Bellator champions? No. PFL, no. UFC, no. In PFL, we have champions, in Bellator we have champions – and not only one. In PFL, we have two or three. In Bellator, we have two or three, and in the UFC, soon Umar will be the second one and Islam Makhachev we have. If we talk only about sport, MMA, Dagestan, Russia, we’re different level.

“But other things, I don’t want to talk or touch about people or nation. Some people don’t understand, when you say, like, level different, they start talking sh*t, you know? This is not good. We’re not talking about a nation or something. We’re just talking about MMA levels, you know? And that’s it, nothing else, nothing more. And we stay within this border now. We don’t go outside the border and talk sh*t about people, no. We’re just talking about levels in MMA. Fighters from Ireland and Russia, and that’s it.”

Nurmagomedov (18-0) defends his lightweight title against Hughes (13-1) in the Bellator Champions Series: Road to Dubai main event on Jan. 25.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Road to Dubai.

UFC newcomer Austin Bashi’s key to success? Throw the hype out the window

One of the most highly-touted prospects on the UFC roster doesn’t really care.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Austin Bashi[/autotag] has heard the media praise. He’s seen the fan reactions. He recognizes he’s a sizeable favorite as he enters his UFC debut.

Despite the elevated level of attention, Bashi (13-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) remains unfazed. That’s not to say he doesn’t think it’s deserved. His self-belief runs parallel to the hype he’s received. But it’s nothing new. He’s grown used to it.

“Something about me is that no matter what the media is saying, no matter how big someone is trying to hype me up, I think the reason I’m undefeated and I continue to keep beating these guys is because I throw all that out the window and I’m not thinking about any of that,” Bashi told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a UFC Fight Night 249 news conference Wednesday.

“… If you go look at my regional scene fights, you go see who I fought, I fought nothing but tough guys. Literally, since my debut, I’ve been thrown to the wolves. Here I am, 13 fights later, 13-0.”

That trend will continue Saturday at the UFC Apex when Bashi steps into the UFC cage for the first time against [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), a fighter with perhaps more experience than a usual newcomer would get as an opponent.

Rodriguez was put into a similar position against a surging youngster Raul Rosas Jr. in 2023. That time, Rodriguez played spoiler, something Bashi doesn’t expect him to repeat here.

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When we got this opponent, I was actually really happy. I remember on the regional scene this name came up and it never happened because I’m pretty sure he just got signed (to the UFC). Making my debut against him, I’m actually happy about it.

“A lot of people try to compare me to Raul,” Bashi said. “I’m nothing like him. I feel like my game is completely different. My I.Q., my pace, my cardio, my everything about me is different than Raul. I just feel like I’m a whole different fighter than him. … I see myself finishing him either via TKO or rear-naked choke at the end of the second or early third.”

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

Roman Kopylov reacts to Chris Curtis’ spying claims, apology before UFC Fight Night 249

Roman Kopylov is relieved sanity prevailed after UFC Vegas 101 opponent Chris Curtis accused him of spying.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] was stunned when [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] accused him of spying ahead of UFC Fight Night 249, but he’s relieved that sanity prevailed.

Prior to Saturday’s middleweight matchup at the UFC Apex (ESPN+), longtime veteran Curtis (31-11 MMA, 5-3 UFC) took to social media and pointed out that two unnamed fighters came into his gym at Xtreme Couture to train before appearing at another facility with Kopylov (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) just days later.

Shortly thereafter, however, Curtis spoke out again, stating the entire situation was a miscommunication, and retracted his claim. Kopylov said he has no ill will about what unfolded and revealed that Curtis apologized to him privately, as well.

“I was quite surprised,” Kopylov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “These are not the type of things that I’m associated with, so I wasn’t sure where it was coming from. But afterward, I saw Chris in the locker room (at the UFC PI) when I was training, and he came up to me, and he was apologizing, and he said, ‘You know what, I was wrong. I was mistaken.’ He actually even put something out on Instagram since then, so it’s gone now.”

With the drama aside, Kopylov can now focus fully on the fight. It’s an important one for him, as he looks to build momentum from a split decision victory over Cesar Almeida at UFC 302 in June. That result put him back on track after a submission loss to Anthony Hernandez in February, which snapped a four-fight knockout streak in his favor.

Curtis is the most experienced opponent that Kopylov has faced to this point in his career, but he thinks it’s stylistically advantageous for him to come out with his hand raised.

I’ve seen a lot of tape on him and it seems as though he’s usually pretty much in the same – he’s got the same plan. He usually works out of fighting standing up and he’s fighting out of his stance. He’s a good striker. I think it’ll be a pretty fun fight. He doesn’t really wrestle. I don’t really wrestle. We’re two strikers and we’re expecting to show a pretty good fight.”

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

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

Mackenzie Dern explains why she’s a different fighter now ahead of her rematch vs. Amanda Ribas at UFC Fight Night 249.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] is feeling good ahead of her first career rematch.

The grappling star turned UFC fighter takes on [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] 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.”

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

Chris Curtis: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland will be like ‘coked-out chimpanzees in a phone booth’

Chris Curtis expects another wild fight from Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312.

[autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] expects another wild fight from [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] and [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] at UFC 312.

Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) rematches middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the Feb. 8 headliner at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Their first fight at UFC 297 ended in a split decision, where Du Plessis got the nod over Strickland to claim the 185-pound belt. Du Plessis lost his lone-career rematch against Roberto Soldic, where after finishing him by TKO to win the KSW welterweight title, he lost their second fight by knockout.

“Fighting Dricus is like fighting a coked-out chimpanzee in a phone booth,” Curtis told MMA Junkie. “You’re just like, what’s happening? But I think it’s really overwhelming and surprising for guys because you’re like, who fights like this? What are you doing? And the dude is just out of his mind, trying to win.

“I respect that, but I feel like stylistically, in the second fight, when you kind of know what to expect and you understand that he’s dancing to his own song, I wonder how that goes, because his only rematch with Soldic, he lost. Yeah, that’s years ago, but I kind of think it’s kind of telling to where once guys figure that out, you learn what to look for. I think it becomes a different fight.”

Curtis understands that the same applies to Strickland, where Du Plessis could pick up on his tendencies.

“It’s just going to be such a weird fight,” Curtis said. “It’s going to be coked-out chimpanzees in a phone booth, and I want to see it. I believe in Sean, he’s one of the hardest-working dudes I’ve ever met. I think he can do it, I’m pulling for him, but at the end of the day, I just kind of want to see this happen because honestly, it’s the most high-level circus fight you’ll ever see.”

Curtis and Strickland recently patched things up after the two friends fell out over a social media spat. All is good right now, but Curtis, who meets Roman Kopylov on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 249 card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+), admitted he wouldn’t be surprised if it happened again.

“I’ve never left the gym, me and Sean fight a lot,” Curtis said. “When you’ve known somebody for that long, you’re going to have some friction. Especially when you know somebody that long, you know how to get under each other’s skin. We’ve had words, we’ve had fistfights on multiple occasions.

“It’s always going to be that way. We’re very different personalities, we’re very different beliefs and boundaries. We’ve both crossed those boundaries a lot more than most people. So, it’s going to happen. It’s just a part of the game.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.

Amanda Ribas doesn’t rule out title shot with UFC Fight Night 249 main event win

Amanda Ribas notes she holds a win over Virna Jandiroba when making a title case ahead of UFC Vegas 101.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] sees some big options in play for her career if she defeats Mackenzie Dern in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 249 headliner.

Ribas (12-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) is set to rematch Dern (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in Saturday’s strawweight headliner at the UFC Apex (ESPN+), and the Brazilian views the matchup as having title implications in the weight class.

With champion Zhang Weili booked to defend against unbeaten Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312 on Feb. 8 in Sydney, there is no clear contender. Virna Jandiroba has a solid winning streak, but Ribas is quick to point out that both she and Dern hold wins over her.

“I know this fight is really important because we both won against Virna and she’s No. 3 (in the UFC rankings),” Ribas told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “So we know how huge and important this fight is because I think if I win, if God blesses me with the win, I can go to the top.

“I believe on that because I’m coming from two wins in the strawweight division, and we both fight against Virna and she is No. 3. Maybe if I win, with a good win, I can go to be (backup fighter) for the belt, or maybe fight against Virna again.”

Ribas, 31, hasn’t seen action since a main event loss to Rose Namajunas in March. That fight took place at women’s flyweight, and afterward Ribas took a self-imposed hiatus to refresh herself physically and mentally, making her “more dangerous.”

Now back at 115 pounds where she is 5-1 under the UFC banner, Ribas is focused on getting her first crack at gold, and she thinks the way Weili vs. Suarez plays out will direct her path.

“I think to move the category, Zhang Weili, if she wins, I’m here,” Ribas said. “No rematches. There is other girls. I think (Virna) needs to wait for the winner of this fight (to get a title shot), because we both deserve that, too.”

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