Wondering what criteria UFC CEO Dana White uses to book a rematch for fighters? A UFC referee has come forward with some intriguing leaks about the decision-making process. Want to know more? Stay tuned! We’re back with another episode of MMA Roundup, where we bring you the latest updates in bite-sized pieces. Without further ado, let’s get started!

From the Dana White leaks, we will move on forward to Mark Zuckerberg, who appears to have made a confession about MMA fighter a year after Elon Musk dropout, and finally, we will conclude our montage with a piece of information from Mackenzie Dern about her last fight against Amanda Ribas.

Big John McCarthy reveals Dana White’s promotion tactics for booking a rematch

Last year, the UFC CEO Dana White booked multiple rematches between the stars of the promotion, which left many within the community to think about how the UFC CEO promotes such clashes. Well, if you are one of those fans who has such a doubt, then worry not as former UFC referee Big John McCarthy has come forward to shed light on the topic. In his recent back and forth with Quinton Jackson on his ‘Jaxxon Podcast’, McCarthy disclosed that White used to give him a heads up as if a rematch was ensured.

“Dana [White] would come up and sit there and goes, ‘Hey, that was a good call, but I’m gonna have to throw you under the bus’…It’s like, okay, whatever…[He did it] so he can make the rematch. So he can say, ‘In my opinion, that was controversial. We’re gonna have to put that fight back together.’ It just starts the whole thing…You know, everything’s about promoting and I totally understand it,” said McCarthy.

Dana White is not a fan of decision fights, which is why we often witness rematches when a fight ends in a decision. However, if there’s an ongoing rivalry between the opponents, the UFC CEO wouldn’t hesitate to book a rematch. Regardless, now that we know about it, let us move on forward to Mark Zuckerberg, who has made some confessions about his MMA training.

Mark Zuckerberg opens up about MMA with Joe Rogan

Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk were expected to clash in 2023, as their verbal battle over X and Threads nearly escalated into an MMA fight. However, despite promotion and a lot of talks, both tech billionaires pulled out of the match, but Meta CEO Zuckerberg kept on training. Years have passed since that incident and the Meta CEO is still looking for a better opponent.

While having a conversation with Joe Rogan, Mark Zuckerberg emphasized that he would love to fight, “I want to… And I think I probably will, but we’ll see. 2025 is going to be a very busy year on the AI side. I think the idea of having a competition, you really need to get into the headspace of ‘I’m going to fight someone this week’.”

He further added, “So, I need to figure this out because I don’t know how with everything that’s going on in AI, how I’m going to have like a week or two where I can just get into this like, ‘I’m going to fight someone [mindset]’. It’s good training and I would like to [fight] at some point.” Unlike Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg has been actively participating in MMA events and is training. It became such a problem that the META shareholders had to issue a warning for Zuckerberg to stop his antics. Regardless, now that we know about the Tech Mogul’s ambitions, let’s have a look at what Mackenzie Dern thinks about her first loss against Amanda Ribas.

Mackenzie Dern confesses about her embarrassment at her initial loss against Amanda Ribas

We are just moments away from witnessing the rematch between Amanda Ribas and Mackenzie Dern. Their initial clash ended in the defeat of Dern, as the #6th ranked strawweight fighter fell short against Ribas. Years have passed since that incident, and both fighters are ready to run it back. But has Dern truly overcome her defeat against Ribas? The simple answer to that question is a big no.

While having a conversation with media, Dern emphasized that she never really overcame her defeat against Ribas, “On like a personal level, I was like kind of embarrassed, like ‘Oh my gosh, look how I was throwing’, you know. Kind of didn’t really know what I was doing. Had a lot of heart… I felt like I held (my own) in there, actually… coming back from having a baby, and things like that. But like working so much on my takedowns and striking and just feeling comfortable in there.”

She further added, “This is my fourth main event… Now, I use the rounds to kind of like, feel the person and see what they are giving me. So I feel like I am kind of understanding strikers a little bit better. That time, I was just trying to get to the ground.” Dern is motivated enough to defeat Amanda Ribas, but will her words resonate in her performance? Only time will tell, what’s your thoughts on their clash? State your opinions in the comments below.