UFC Vegas 89 will see the return of popular Brazilian star Amanda Ribas to the octagon. She will take on former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.
Very few fighters will have what it takes to reach the big leagues but Ribas has the full package. A mixture of dedication, talent, skill, and professionalism got her to the dance, and now she is reaping the rewards at the highest level. At 30 years of age there is still much more to expect from the Brazilian, but things could have been so much different for her. Let’s look back at the turbulent life and career of Ribas.
Amanda Ribas: The Early Years
Ribas was born in Varginha, Brazil in 1993 into a family dedicated to martial arts. Her father, Marcelo Ribas, was a Vale Tudo fighter and her brother also became a mixed martial artist. Practically raised inside a gym, it seemed that Ribas’ fate was set from a very early age.
She began her journey with jiu-jitsu classes and took up judo at the age of 12. Ribas underwent knee surgeries that thwarted her ambitions of competing at the Olympic Games, but came back to start training in MMA. In 2014 she won her first amateur bout, and in the same year secured the IMMAF World Championship in Las Vegas. Just one week later, the Brazilian phenom won her professional MMA debut.
Ribas was victorious in her next four fights claiming the Jungle Fight strawweight title in the process. In November 2015, she tasted defeat for the first time in her professional career losing to Polyana Viana via knockout. This loss, on top of financial struggles, led her to consider leaving MMA behind to the dismay of her passionate father.
After much deliberation, Ribas decided to pick up where she left off. Although she wanted to return to MMA, not many promotions were interested at the time. Luckily for Ribas, Max Fight offered her a bout six months after her defeat to Viana. She won via TKO and consequently captured the vacant title. Amanda Ribas was back.
Ban From MMA
It would be just over three years before Ribas would fight again. The chance to fight current UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili came and went before Ribas was offered the opportunity to compete in India. Ribas and her father decided against this offer and instead joined MMA academy American Top Team. The path could have been very different because, according to Ribas’ father, the decision was made on the result of a coinflip.
Ribas excelled in training at ATT and in May 2017 she signed with the UFC. Even though this was an incredible milestone in her life, the joy would be short lived. Only three weeks later, Ribas was banned from competing by the United States Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for a banned substance. The Ribas family had taken a massive hit.
After an agonising wait lasting almost two years, Ribas finally received some good news. USADA announced that Ribas’ positive test was consistent with supplement contamination and she was cleared of wrongdoing. During those inactive years, she stayed sharp and continued to train and round out her game. Amanda Ribas could finally set her sights on the UFC.
Welcome to the UFC
Ribas got off to the perfect start in MMA’s leading promotion. A submission win over Emily Whitmire was followed by an impressive unanimous decision victory over Mackenzie Dern. After dispatching Randa Markos, Ribas then submitted Paige VanZant in her flyweight debut in 2020.
Her four-fight winning streak then came to a halt back down at strawweight against Marina Rodriguez who finished the Brazilian with strikes. Since then Ribas has fluctuated between strawweight and flyweight and has been rather inconsistent in the octagon. She has fought five times since her loss to Rodriguez, but has been unable to record back-to-back wins since 2020. Ribas looked fantastic in her last bout though, beating Luana Pinheiro via TKO after landing a beautiful spinning wheel kick.
A win against Namajunas this weekend at UFC Vegas 89 would have Ribas knocking on the door of the top five at flyweight. The Brazilian has star power and all the skills to challenge for the title there. She has a dangerous ground game mixed with creative striking that has improved over the years. Top this off with incredible heart and toughness, you have a recipe for success. If she is able to iron out some defensive vulnerabilities (as seen in the Maycee Barber loss), Ribas has the time to make a charge for the belt at 125lbs.
The UFC is a better place with Amanda Ribas in it. Her positive personality is infectious and her fighting style is entertaining to say the least. 2024 could be a big year for Ribas if she is able to get through Namajunas at UFC Vegas 89.
