TAMPA, Fla. – Amanda Ribas isn’t worried about her UFC on ESPN+ 19 opponent missing weight at Friday’s weigh-ins. In fact, she wouldn’t mind it at all.
Mackenzie Dern has built up a reputation as a fighter who consistently struggles when she steps on the scale. However, on Thursday, the American claimed she is just one pound away from hitting the mark.
On the main card of UFC on ESPN+ 19, Ribas (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Dern (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) are set to meet in a 115-pound matchup. The event takes place Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. and streams on ESPN+.
“It (doesn’t make) a difference, because I need to be worried about my weight,” Ribas told MMA Junkie. “If she does not make the weight, it’s good for me. Thirty percent. But I’m not worried about this.”
In her promotional debut in June, Ribas submitted Emily Whitmire by second-round rear-naked choke. Her last four fights have ended inside the distance.
Her opponent, Arizona’s Dern, will return to action for the first time since giving birth to her first child in June. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has four victories by submission.
To hear more from Amanda Ribas at UFC on ESPN+ 19 media day, watch the video above.
Amanda Ribas on Mackenzie Dern: 'If she does not make the weight, it's good for me'
