Judges Given the Night off in First UFC Card of the Year

January 13, 2025
1 month

The first UFC card of the year promised a lot…..and it delivered! While there may have been quite a few names on the card that you wouldn’t typically say are ‘household’ names, there was a good mix of fighters desperate for a win, along with up and coming fighters looking to make a name for themselves.

Only one of the main card fights went to a decision, which highlights the explosive action we saw. If you happened to miss the action, here’s what happened.

Dern Takes Revenge on Ribas

As highlighted in our preview of this event, 2025 seems to be the year for rematches in the UFC and if the other follow suit like this one, we’re surely in for a treat. These two women first met back in 2019 and at the time both were riding high on win streaks and seemingly had the world at their feet. Skip forward to 2025 and things were very different for both. That’s because both ladies had lost two of their previous three fights coming in to this one. Therefore, they both had a hint of desperation about them and it showed and made for fantastic viewing.

Most of the fight was spent on the mat, with both ladies controlling a round each. After winning the second round and beginning the third on top, it appeared that Ribas was going to cement her dominance over Mackenzie Dern. However, the American had other ideas and after working to mount she managed to lock in an armbar and secure the win with four seconds left of the round.

The win now means Dern has won back to back bouts for the first time since 2020/2021. It will also push her back into the top five in the Strawweight division and sets her up for a possible title eliminator.

A Dagger in the Heart of Harris

The Argentine Dagger, Santiago Ponzinibbio and Carlston Harris put on one hell of a fight Saturday night, as both men left it all in the octagon. Both men were looking to bounce back from defeats and although there was only one real winner, both fighters came out of the fight with better reputations than they went in it.

While it was a very back and forth fight, many believed Harris could have been on his way to victory as he appeared to have caused the greater damage in the fight. He dropped Ponzinibbio in the first and again hurt him in the second. That’s not to say that Ponzinibbio didn’t have his moments in the first two rounds. He was constantly pressing the pace throughout the fight and it told in the third when referee Kerry Hatley had to step in to stop the fight.

The win helps the Argentines case to secure a number next to his name or at least challenge those who do.

Hail Cesar

When the match makers put together this fight, it was Cesar Almeida who appeared to be the least experienced of the two on paper. However, watching the fight, you would be forgiven for thinking it was the other way round. That’s because Abdul Razak Alhassan appeared to have the fight in the bag after knocking Almeida to the ground with an almighty right hand.

But instead of showcasing his experience he swarmed on Almeida rather recklessly and left himself open for the Brazilian to counter with a vicious left that ended the fight. Alhassan isn’t the first to have let the vision of the finishing line cloud his judgment and he certainly won’t be the last. However, after losing three of his last four, with one no contest thrown into the mix to, its unclear how many more chances the 39 year old will be given.

Kopy That UFC!

If there was one fight from the night that you wish all UFC fights could copy it would be this one. Many had this down as a fight of the night contender and it didn’t dissapoint. Both men battled it out to the finish and although we all like to see highlight reel TKO’s and submissions, it would have been more fitting for referee Mark Smith to have let the fight end and go to the judges scorecards rather than stopping it with one second left.

Yes, there are those who will argue that a lot can happen in a UFC second and fighters health is always paramount. But common sense should have prevailed here and the fight should have gone to the judges scorecards.

The fight began with both men trading blows, but it was the Russians combinations that prevailed and won him the round. Round two was a round of two halves with Curtis opening up Kopylov in the early parts, only for Roman to come on strong in the latter part of the round. Heading into the third and final round it was still all to play for and Curtis continued to try and press the pace. As the fight was coming to a conclusion Kopylov landed a kick to the head which dropped Curtis to a knee and ultimately ended the fight.

You have to believe the win for Kopylov will see him take on a ranked opponent next time out with the likes of Michel Pereira and a rematch with Anthony Hernandez on the cards.

Other results on the card included:

Christian Rodriguez defeats Austin Bashi by Unaimous Decision

Punahele Soriano defeats Uros Medic by First Round KO

Felipe Bunes defeats Jose Johnson by First Round Submission

Marco Tulio defeats Ihor Potieria by First Round TKO

Thiago Moises defeats Trey Ogden by Unanimous Decision

Jacobe Smith defeats Preston Parsons by First Round KO

Ernesta Kareckaite defeats Nicolle Caliari by Split Decision

Bruno Lopes defeats Magomed Gadhziyasulov by Unanimous Decision

Fatima Kline defeats Viktoriia Dudakova by Second Round TKO

Nurullo Aliev defeats Joe Solecki by Unanimous Decision

By Dean McHugh.

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