Amanda Ribas received 5 of six UFC bouts in her pure weight class of 115 kilos, a distinction to her 2-3 run as a flyweight, however there’s a purpose why she received’t rule out going again as much as 125 kilos.
Ribas headlines Saturday night time’s UFC Vegas 101 present on the UFC APEX in a rematch with Mackenzie Dern, one in every of her first victims contained in the octagon, and hopes to insert her title within the dialog for a shot on the gold after Tatiana Suarez challenges Zhang Weili. That doesn’t imply, nonetheless, that she would flip down one other alternative at flyweight.
“I just like the flyweight [division] as a result of I by no means combat random opponents there, it’s at all times somebody good,” Ribas advised MMA Combating. Regardless of shedding three of her previous 4 at 125 kilos, these defeats got here towards top-ranked abilities Katlyn Cerminara, Maycee Barber, and Rose Namajunas.
“If the UFC retains providing me good fighters — and the 115 ladies are already booked —, I’ll go. I like to remain lively, you realize?” she continued. “However I wish to focus at 115 as a result of I’m already near the Amanda Ribas jokes she received’t rule out return to flyweight as a result of ‘it’s exhausting to say no’ to Mick Maynard relying on this combat. [But] it’s exhausting to say no to [UFC matchmaker] Mick [Maynard], particularly when he comes with the No. 2, the No. 3 [laughs]. How do I say no?”
Ribas was 1-0 within the UFC and Dern was undefeated within the sport after they first met in 2019. Now the Varginha native feels she’s “rather more skilled” in lots of points of life, from coaching to maturity as a lady, together with the power to combat as a southpaw when issues begin to go south within the cage.
“I believe I’m an enormous title within the division already, the truth that I beat Virna [Jandiroba] and he or she’s now ranked No. 3,” Ribas mentioned. “I believe that this win over Mackenzie will put me proper there on the high and I’ll perhaps want yet another, perhaps the winner of Virna and Xiaonan [Yan], to go for the belt.”
“I don’t know, perhaps Tatiana wins and will get harm and I’m subsequent,” she continued. “I believe the UFC sees those that are staying lively and have the hype. They need a champion that can even elevate UFC’s title, and that’s why I’ve to remain lively.”
