SportsLine’s Daniel Vithlani reveals his picks for the UFC Fight Night: Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas fight card from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday
Top-10 UFC women’s strawweight fighters clash when sixth-ranked Mackenzie Dern meets eighth-ranked Amanda Ribas at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 in Las Vegas. The preliminary UFC fight card at the UFC Apex is expected to get underway around 4 p.m. ET, with the main card starting around 7 p.m. ET. This will be a rematch of their Fight Night event in October 2019. In that match, Ribas earned a unanimous decision to hand Dern her first loss of her professional career.
Ribas is a -190 favorite (risk $190 to win $100), while Dern is priced at +160 (risk $100 to win $160) in the latest UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas odds, with that fight listed at -200 to go the distance. Also on the main card, welterweight fighters take the spotlight as Santiago Ponzinibbio (-140) takes on Carlston Harris (+118). Before making any UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 picks, make sure you see the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Daniel Vithlani.
Vithlani is a highly-analytical UFC bettor who has been a consistent winner for SportsLine members since making his debut in January 2023 with a 5-0 record for UFC 283. In fact, he’s up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card sports betting picks.
His other highlights include calling an upset for Sean O’Malley (+210) against Aljamain Sterling (-250) at UFC 292 as part of a 4-1 main card and his UFC 299 winners included underdog selections on Dustin Poirier (+190) against Benoit Saint Denis (-230) and Michael Page (+110) against Kevin Holland (-130). Anyone who has followed him at sportsbooks and on betting apps could be way up.
Now, Vithlani has studied Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas from every angle and revealed his top betting picks and best bets. You can only see Vithlani’s UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 picks at SportsLine.
Dern vs. Ribas preview
Dern, 31, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Loopy Godinez at UFC on ABC: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov in August 2024. The win snapped a two-bout losing streak, including a Fight of the Night loss to Amanda Lemos at UFC 298 last February. She also earned Fight of the Night honors in a unanimous decision win over Angela Hill at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill in May 2023. She is a former No. 1 ranked IBJJF competitor, and is ranked sixth among the female divisions.
Dern began her professional career in July 2016, and made her UFC debut in July 2016. She won her first seven bouts and 11 of 12 with the only blemish coming against Ribas. In 19 career matches, Dern has compiled a 14-5 mark. She has seven wins by decision and seven by submission. She has been knocked out once, and lost four matches by decision. Check out SportsLine to see his picks and analysis.
In the meantime, Ribas, 31, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Rose Namajunas at UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas this past March. She had been coming off a third-round knockout of Luana Pinheiro at UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Craig in November 2023. In that match, she earned Performance of the Night in her return to strawweight. Ribas started her professional MMA career in 2014, fighting mostly in Brazil.
She compiled a 6-1 record before being signed by UFC. Her first UFC bout was a submission win over Emily Whitmire at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos in June 2019. For her career, she has compiled a 13-5 record, including four wins by knockout, four by submission and five by decision. She has lost two bouts by decision and three by knockout. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 predictions
We’ll reveal one of Vithlani’s UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 selections here: Felipe Bunes (+150) to upset Jose Johnson (-180) in a flyweight matchup on the preliminary card.
“Bunes is an underdog I’m willing to back,” Vithlani told SportsLine. “His 13-7 record doesn’t illustrate how tough of a fighter he is. Before being finished in the second round, Bunes was competitive with highly-touted flyweight prospect Joshua Van. His grappling, grit and pressure may be tough for Johnson to handle. Johnson is huge for the flyweight division. He uses his height and reach effectively, with a rangy and snappy striking style. The issue for Johnson has been finding the right weight class. I feel he is a much better fit at bantamweight (135 pounds). The weight cut to 125 has been rough on him and, if Bunes can make this fight ugly and force Johnson to work hard, he can wear on him and take over.” See who else to back here.
How to make UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 picks
Vithlani has strong picks for Dern vs. Ribas and other bouts on the UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 card. He’s also backing a fighter who “has a clear advantage with his striking technique.” He’s sharing who it is only at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and find out.
UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 main fight card, odds
See full UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 picks, predictions, best bets here.
Amanda Ribas (-190) vs. Mackenzie Dern (+160)
Santiago Ponzinibbio (-140) vs. Carlston Harris (+118)
Chris Curtis (+190) vs. Roman Kopylov (-230)
Austin Bashi (-265) vs. Christian Rodriguez (+215)
Uros Medic (-225) vs. Punahale Soriano (+185)
