Has Mackenzie Dern evolved? 5 questions that could be answered at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2

This weekend sees the first UFC event of 2025. Sure, it's an APEX event, but after a few weeks without action, it should be fun nonetheless.

As with any UFC show, this weekend's Fight Night event, headlined by Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas, could answer a number of questions.

So with some intriguing fights in various weight divisions, this event should be worth watching even if it isn't the most loaded card.

Here are five questions that could be answered at UFC Fight Night: Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas 2.

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#5. Can Christian Rodriguez put his weight issues behind him and prove he's a prospect to watch?

This weekend's main card will feature a featherweight fight between Christian Rodriguez and newcomer Austin Bashi.

Bashi earned his UFC contract after winning on Dana White's Contender Series in September and boasts a perfect 13-0 record. He looks like a prospect to watch.

However, it might be Rodriguez who has more to prove in this fight. This time a year ago, 'CeeRod' looked like a prospect to watch in his own right, albeit with a caveat of sorts.

He'd debuted in the octagon in early 2022, and had rebounded from his debut loss by winning three in a row, including two wins over notable prospects Raul Rosas Jr and Cameron Saaiman.

However, Rodriguez had missed weight for both of those bouts, failing to make the 135-pound bantamweight limit. That issue meant that any hype around him was dimmed somewhat, a feeling that only amplified when he lost to journeyman Julian Erosa in his second bout at 145 pounds last year.

Basically, then, this is Rodriguez's chance to show that he's more than just a weight bully.

Win here, against a highly touted prospect, and he could mark himself as a man to watch going forward this year. If he loses, though, it wouldn't be surprising to see him lose his roster spot with the UFC entirely.

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#4. Is this the last chance saloon for Cesar Almeida to emulate Alex Pereira?

Ever since Alex Pereira exploded onto the scene in the UFC a couple of years ago, every notable kickboxer to enter the promotion is seemingly talked up as a potential 'new Poatan'.

Middleweight Cesar Almeida, who debuted in the octagon last April, certainly received that kind of hype, and for good reason.

'Cesinha' came into the promotion with an extensive kickboxing record of 47-8-1, and even held a win over Pereira from back in 2013.

Since arriving, though, the Brazilian hasn't been able to emulate the success of his peer. He looked good in a debut knockout win over Dylan Budka, but then found himself exposed on the ground in a loss to Roman Kopylov.

Most recently, he outpointed Ihor Potieria, but hardly looked like a world-beater in doing so, in a fight more memorable for a bizarre refereeing performance.

This weekend, then, 'Cesinha' probably has his last opportunity to prove that he can make his mark when he faces veteran Abdul Razak Alhassan.

If Almeida can win - particularly if he can score a big knockout - then he'll regain a lot of the hype he lost last year. If he loses, though, he'll be just another former kickboxer to wash out in the octagon.

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#3. Can Uros Medic continue his finishing streak?

For mid-level fighters in the UFC, the ability to produce exciting fights is probably more important than actually winning them.

If a fighter can become a reliable action hero, either finishing their foe in exciting fashion or suffering a nasty defeat in return, a career in the octagon can become long and fruitful.

With the likes of Drew Dober and Niko Price now ageing, though, the promotion will be looking for new action heroes to replace them. One fighter who has the potential to do this is Uros Medic.

'The Doctor', who is set to open this weekend's main card in a welterweight bout against Punahele Soriano, has fought on six occasions in the octagon before, winning four and losing two bouts.

None of those fights, though, have gone the distance, and in fact, Medic has never seen the final buzzer in his entire 12-fight career.

'The Doctor' is coming off a win over Tim Means here, meaning a second win in a row could elevate him up the ladder slightly.

In reality, though, a win or loss doesn't matter too much here. Instead, if Medic produces another thriller, it feels likely that he'll have a spot on the UFC's roster for basically as long as he wants.

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#2. Will anyone really be talking about this UFC event next week?

Perhaps the big talking point around this weekend's event is the fact that outside of the headline bout, not a single fighter involved is ranked in the top 15 of their weight class.

Sure, the likes of Uros Medic, Santiago Ponzinibbio, Abdul Razak Alhassan and Chris Curtis tend to put on exciting fights, but that really isn't the point.

The UFC sells itself on having the best fighters in the world on its roster, but when they produce an event so low on top-level talent like this, it becomes slightly hard to defend the way they do business.

Dana White's adage is always that a fan shouldn't judge an event before it takes place, and to an extent, that's fair. You never know when a fight is going to turn into a classic or produce a viral moment. After all, nobody had heard of Joaquin Buckley when he unleashed his famous spin kick in 2020.

However, put simply, it's hard for fans to get truly excited for events like this. In reality, if it's possible during their deal with ESPN, the UFC might be better off cutting down the number of APEX shows like this and simply loading their cards more heavily going forward.

Whether anyone can produce a moment that is talked about past next week, then, is one of the bigger questions around this event.

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#1. Has Mackenzie Dern evolved enough to beat Amanda Ribas?

Back in October 2019, when Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas first faced off in the octagon, the bout quickly became a painful one for Dern.

The highly regarded Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace came into the fight as an unbeaten prospect, but was unable to land any of her takedowns. Instead, she was beaten up on the feet, and even found herself on the wrong end of a couple of big hip throws en route to her first UFC loss.

A lot of things have changed in the five years that have followed. Not only is Dern in far better shape physically than she was in 2019, but she's also improved her striking massively.

However, the big question here is whether she's evolved enough to defeat Ribas this time around.

Dern is an improved striker, but she's still got a tendency to swing wild shots rather than look to land clean combinations. More to the point, she hasn't yet learned how to use her striking to set up her takedowns, which was the biggest problem she had back in 2019.

Dern has not fought since August, meaning that in the months since, she could well have improved this ability. That alone could lead her to victory, given her insane grappling gifts.

If that isn't the case, though, quite how she can find a way to win is difficult to see. Overall, then, the intrigue is high for this fight, and the question of Dern's evolution is the biggest one coming into this event.