Dern vs Ribas 2 – Betting Preview

it’s 2025 and UFC is back! There first offering of the year comes from the Apex and is a rematch between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas. Rematches appear to be the theme this year in the UFC, with many highly anticipated rematches booked for the early part of it.
Dern and Ribas first met in the octagon back in 2019 and it was the Brazlian Ribas who came out on top that night, winning on points. Both women have had many highs and lows since then and they have both struggled for consistency. Dern hasn’t won back to back fights for over three years and Ribas four years, which highlights these inconsistencies.
The one thing that has remained fairly consistent however is the fact that both ladies haven’t picked up many stoppages and I see this one being no different. The oddsmakers have flipped the book on this one and it’s Amanda Ribas who is now the favorite as opposed to Mackenzie Dern who was the favorite back in 2019. Because of these two fighters inconsistencies trying to pick a winner here is tricky. The safe money should be on the fight to go the distance.
Betting Prediction – Fight to go the Distance
Ponzinibbio & Harris Both Looking to Bounce Back

Santiago Ponzinibbio and Carlston Harris are both looking to bounce back from defeats last time out. To the naked eye, or perhaps someone who doesn’t know much about the UFC or MMA, you could easily see why some might question why this is a co-main event given these two fighters records. Ponzinibbio has lost four of his last five and Harris has lost two of his last four. However, when you look at the calibre of opponents these two men have faced recently, it’s easy to see why their records haven’t been great.
Ponzinibbio has lost against the likes of Kevin Holland, Michel Pereira and Geoff Neal, while Harris has been in the octagon with the phenom Shavkat Rakhmonov. We should also remind ourselves who these two men have beaten in the past. Santiago has wins over Magny, Perry, McGee and even former middleweight champion Sean Strickland. Carlston Harris’ resume isn’t as impressive but he does have a first round win over Impa Kasanganay who has won gold in the PFL since.
With both men desperately seeking a win I see them both coming out and going all guns blazing from the off. Therefore, I can’t see this one doing to the judges.
Betting Prediction – Fight not to go the Distance
Almeida vs Alhassan

Cesar Almeida versus Abdul Razak Alhassan is an intriguing match up. 36 year old Almeida has a solid record having won six of his seven fights to date. However, you could easily put a question mark of the calibre of opponents he’s faced to date. His opponent has lost three of his last four, but has been in the octagon with much stiffer competition. That’s because he’s been in their with the likes of the highly touted Joseph Pyfer and he also went the distance with Joaquin Buckley. Buckley has been on a roll as of late picking up wins in his last six fights including beating the likes of Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson and most recently Colby Covington.
Alhassan has struggled with injuries over the past year and he only had one fight in 2024 which was a no contest against Cody Brundage. If he is over his injury problems, I see the more experienced fighter coming away with the win here at some very generous odds.
Betting Prediction – Alhassan to Win
Curt Looking to Hurt Kopylov
Chris Curtis against Roman Kopylov is a very similar match up to Almeida and Alhassan. Curtis, like Alhassan, has lost three of his last four fights. However, all three defeats can against elite level competition in the form of Allen, Imavov and Gastelum. His last win came against Canadian Barriault who although is a decent fighter, is on a three fight losing streak. Although, his previous win before that came in devastating fashion as he knocked out top five contender Joaquin Buckley.
Kopylov, like Almeida, has only lost once in recent times which came against Anthony Hernandez who has won his last six fights. However, his wins have come against much lower ranked opponents than Curtis has faced. For that reason I think its worth taking a low stakes risk on the outsider Chris Curtis. I don’t see much between these two and therefore I think the value is with Curtis.
Betting Prediction – Curtis to Win
Medics on Standby
The Medics will definitely need to be on standby when Punahele Soriano and Uros Medic meet on Saturday night. That’s because both men like to give the judges the night off when they fight. In fact, Uros Medic is yet to see any of his UFC fights go the distance and only once has Soriano’s fights gone to the scorecards in his last four.
Expect fireworks and violence in this one and don’t blink or you might miss the finish!
Betting Prediction – Fight not to go the Distance
Other Fights on the Card
Featherweight Division – Christian Rodriguez vs Austin Bashi
Flyweight Division – Jose Johnson vs Felipe Bunes
Middleweight Division – Marco Tulio vs Ihor Potieria
Lightweight Division – Thiago Moises vs Trey Ogden
Welterweight Division – Preston Parsons vs Jacobe Smith
Women’s Flyweight Division – Ernesta Kareckaite vs Nicolle Caliari
Light Heavyweight Division – Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs Bruno Lopes
Women’s Strawweight Division – Fatima Kline vs Viktoriya Dudakova
Lightweight Division – Nurullo Aliev vs Joe Solecki
Written By Dean McHugh.