UFC Vegas 101: Five Things We Learned

UFC Vegas 101: Five Things We Learned

UFC Vegas 101 is in the books. The event was the first fight night event of the new year. It did not disappoint, either. The event had a plethora of great finishes and multiple entertaining fights. Let’s recap all the action by looking at the biggest lessons we learned from UFC Vegas 101.

Mackenzie Dern Hits A High Point In Her Career

In the UFC Vegas 101 main event Mackenzie Dern submitted Amanda Ribas with an armbar in the third round. It marked Dern’s second-straight victory and her first submission win since 2021.

Dern has had an interesting UFC career. The talent is obvious, but she also has clear flaws. The positive is that her BJJ is outstanding, but she has always needed to make striking and wrestling improvements. Dern has had highs and lows in the past based on how those traits look. At UFC Vegas 101, she did well in those categories, resulting in a great performance.

In the striking exchanges, Dern looked calm, did not get overaggressive, and landed strikes. This was accomplished while remaining safe defensively.

Dern also notched a takedown in the first round which helped her get off to a solid start.

Ultimately, Dern got inside and initiated grappling exchanges at various points in the second and third rounds. She was not able to land takedowns; however, once she was put in the bottom position she was able to land sweeps to get to the top. This is what allowed her to set up the armbar in round three.

This fight is a great example of what Dern can look like when she patches up certain flaws in her skillset. Hopefully, she can continue to make improvements. Unfortunately, that has not always been the case throughout her career.

Christian Rodriguez Takes Another Zero

At UFC Vegas 101, Christian Rodriguez picked up a decision win over undefeated prospect Austin Bashi. This is the fourth take Rodriguez has defeated an undefeated prospect during his UFC tenure. His resume now includes Bashi, Isaac Dulgarian, Cameron Saaiman, and Raul Rosas Jr. Rodriguez is a certified prospect killer.

Rodriguez did a sensational job defending Bashi’s grappling throughout this fight. He stayed calm defended takedowns, won scrambles, and stayed safe when Bashi found success.

In open space, Rodriguez was the far better striker. He landed the majority of the damaging offensive strikes throughout this fight. This includes jabs and straight punches on the outside. Plus, he landed knees and elbows when the distance closed.

Rodriguez has defeated so many prospects that he needs to start fighting opponents with a lot of UFC experience. At this point, it is clear he can take out prospects. The promotion needs to test Rodriguez’s ability to fight up the latter.

Punahele Soriano Continues Welterweight Revival

At UFC Vegas 101, Punahele Soriano knocked out Uros Medic in 31 seconds. The victory makes Soriano 2-0 since dropping down to welterweight.

This fight does not leave much to break down. Soriano timed a two-piece combination off of a Medic body shot. The second shot of the combination, a right overhand, landed clean and ended the fight.

Soriano was on the verge of being cut before dropping down to welterweight. At middleweight, he was 3-4 with consecutive losses. Now, he has consecutive impressive performances and sits with back-to-back wins.

At 170 pounds, Soriano fits the division’s physicality and size requirements much better. This is the division he should have been at for his entire career. That does not mean Soriano will end up being an elite welterweight, but he will have much more success in that division.

Jacobe Smith Shows Off His Power

Undefeated prospect Jacobe Smith made his UFC debut at UFC Vegas 101. The former college wrestler made a statement as he knocked out Preston Parsons in a minute and 13 seconds.

Smith ended this fight with a right straight followed by a left hook. The left hook landed cleanly and shut Parsons’ lights off. It was a great demonstration of the power that he holds.

On Dana White’s Contender Series, Smith demonstrated great wrestling skills. That made him a top-tier prospect from DWCS Season 8. If he can continue to show striking skills, his ceiling will rise.

Fatima Kline Impresses In Strawweight Debut

At UFC Vegas 101, Fatima Kline earned a ground-and-pound stoppage against Victoria Dudakova. It was a great showing in her strawweight debut.

Kline had a lot of hype entering the UFC. At 24, she joined the promotion with a short-notice flyweight bout against Jasmine Jasudavicious. That bout did not go her way; however, that is a tough UFC debut. In her second fight, she had a much better showing when she dropped back to her natural weight class.

Kline dominated the grappling exchanges during this bout. That is impressive considering Dudakova’s best skill is her grappling. Kline was able to get to the top position, prevented Dudakova from working to her feet, and advanced to strong positions. That allows her to land big strikes and finish the fight.

Kline is a prospect worth keeping an eye on now that she is competing in the women’s strawweight division.

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