Top Strawweights Moved from UFC Tampa, Set to Headline First Fight Night of 2025

The pivotal strawweight matchup will be the UFC's first main event of 2025.

David Yeazell-Imagn Images

The first UFC card of 2025 officially has its main event, and it’s a fight that fans were expecting to see at the promotion’s year-ending show in Tampa, FL.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas Headlines UFC Vegas 101

The final UFC PPV of 2024 is set to go down this Saturday, with Alexandre Pantoja defending his flyweight belt against RIZIN star Kai Asakura in the latter fighter’s Octagon debut after undefeated talents Ian Machado Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov meet in the night’s welterweight co-main event.

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Machado Garry was originally slated to headline the final UFC card of the year in Tampa against Joaquin Buckley, but when Belal Muhammad pulled out of his title defense against Rakhmonov at UFC 310 it opened the door for “The Future” to jump in and try and secure his own welterweight title shot.

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Ian Machado Garry (red gloves) fights Michael Page (blue gloves) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington stepped up to meet Buckley in the UFC Tampa main event, but now Alex Behunin reports that event has been hit with another change and a strawweight matchup between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas has been moved to headline the promotion’s first show of 2025 on January 11.

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Mackenzie Dern lands a hit against Amanda Lemos during UFC 298 at Honda Center. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

A staple of the UFC’s strawweight division since making her promotional debut in 2018, Dern currently holds a #6 spot in the rankings after taking a unanimous decision against Lupita Godinez in August to snap the first two-fight skid of her career.

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The decorated grappler could take another step towards a strawweight title shot on January 11 when she meets Dern, who is ranked in the Top 10 at both strawweight and women’s flyweight but is set to return to the 115 lbs. weight class after coming up short against Rose Namajunas in another UFC Fight Night main event in March.

Amanda Ribas lands a punch on Maycee Barber in a women's flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event Saturday, June 24, 2023 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

UFC Vegas 101 is set to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV to end a nearly month-long break for the promotion and kick off its 2025 schedule, and with the strawweight main event in place the card currently looks like this:

• Main Event: Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas

• Thiago Moisés vs. Trey Ogden

• Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov

• Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Carlston Harris

• Austin Bashi vs. Christian Rodriguez

• Ernesta Kareckaite vs. Nicolle Caliari

• Punahele Soriano vs. Uros Medic

• Andreas Gustaffson vs. Preston Parsons

• Jose Johnson vs. Felipes Bunes

• Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Bruno Lopes

• Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. César Almeida

• Nurullo Aliev vs. Yanal Ashmouz

• Victoria Dudakova vs. Fatima Kline

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