“I Need to Shut My Dad up” – Amanda Ribas Has an Exciting Prospect

Amanda Ribas is one of the most promising fighters in the UFC. The 27-year-old Brazilian fighter signed with the company in 2019. She made her debut against Emily Whitmire and won via submission. Since then, she has fought thrice in the UFC, winning all three fights. Ribas is now 4-0 in the UFC and riding a five-fight win streak. 

Ribas (10-1) is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and uses it well to her advantage. She has secured 40% of her wins via submission. However, Amanda is also good on the feet and has a few TKO/KO wins to her name. 

Amanda Ribas wants to prove a point to her father

A lot of ex-UFC fighters have signed with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. In a recent interview with SCMP MMA, Ribas revealed why she would consider joining the BKFC.

She said, “For me, this is like the beginning. My Dad did this fight. I saw in my house some pictures with him fighting all ‘bloody blood.’ So for me, it’s different. It’s a different game. So there are old techniques and new techniques so for me it’s different.

“I don’t know if I can do it one day because I need to shut my dad up because sometimes when we’re training he says, ‘you guys today, you use protection for the knee, for the head. In my time, I did without gloves, I kicked the tree, so maybe in the future, I’ll do it just to shut up my Dad!”

Ribas most recently fought Paige VanZant in July this year. She won the fight in the first round via an armbar. Following the loss, her counterpart signed with BKFC, while Ribas has been strongly linked with a fight against #7 ranked Carla Esparza.

Amanda is ranked #12 in the women’s strawweight division. A win against a top 10 opponent not only legitimizes her as a threat to Zhang Weili, but it will put her in prime position for a title shot.

The fight between the two women is rumored to be targeted for UFC 256 on December 12.

What have you made of Ribas’ performances? Is she a genuine threat to the strawweight champion, Weili Zhang?