Is Mackenzie Dern ready for a title shot? || UFC Vegas 101 recap

Mackenzie Dern got revenge on Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 101. Now with a two fight winning streak in the women's toughest division, will Mackenzie Dern have what it takes to win a title?

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Chapters:
0:28 What is Mackenzie Dern’s ceiling?
4:27 Santiago Ponzinibbio turns back the clock
8:32 Has Cesar Almeida locked in KOTY?
11:15 Bad stoppages don’t change outcomes

How high can Mackenzie Dern go? After her win over Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 101, she's likely to move up at least one spot into the top five. This is astounding considering what her limitations once were. Now Mackenzie Dern is confident in her striking. Is that enough to get her the title? Is that even enough to get her TO the title?

Santiago Ponzinibbio snagged a huge win over Carlston Harris. After getting hurt, dropped, and looking the slower man, Santiago Ponzinibbio managed to knock out Harris to start his 2025 off on the right foot. Once a feared contender, Santiago Ponzinibbio will now have to be a crafty veteran. That is exactly what we saw at UFC Vegas 101.

Cesar Almeida may have locked in knockout of the year on the first card of the year. He put away Abdul Razak Alhassan in the first round after being dropped and hurt. But Cesar Almeida stayed strong. He weathered the storm and fired back at Abdul Razak Alhassan and locked in a performance bonus at UFC Vegas 101.

The worst part about UFC Vegas 101 was the ending to Roman Kopylov and Chris Curtis. The fight was locked in at the last second when Roman Kopylov dropped Chris Curtis with a high kick. But Roman Kopylov walked off. Bad mistake. Or so you'd think. With 2 seconds off and no extra damage being thrown, the referee called the fight off. It seems like a moment to let Chris Curtis go out on his shield. But no.