When Dern puts you on the ground, he doesn’t just keep you there, he’s always looking for an opening to submit or attack. In the 2022 fight against Yang Xiaonan, Dern landed 167 ground strikes, the fifth-most in a strawweight bout. She remains in sixth place at 147 against Angela Hill.
Dern is also considered the 115-pound submission queen and holds the record for most submissions in the history of the division with four. Those finishes came from her impressive 15 submission attempts inside the Octagon.
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One thing has been consistent since their first fight, and that could be the deciding factor once again when these two meet at UFC APEX. Rivas has excellent takedown defense, allowing just four takedowns in 11 total UFC fights. At strawweight, Rivas has defended 18 of 21 takedown attempts, including all six against Dern. Rivas’ 85.7 percent takedown defense rate is second in history in the division behind Jing Yu Frey.
This is shaping up to be another classic striker vs. grappler matchup, with the winner likely coming down to who can dictate the pace and continue the fight in their preferred area: standing or on the ground. Find out on ESPN+ on Saturday, January 11th at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
