Amanda Ribas has a main card spot at UFC 257. The first pay-per-view of the year with a high profile main event between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Being attached to a card of this magnitude can carry a lot of weight for those that walk away winners on Saturday night and Ribas is well aware of this.
Speaking with MMANews’ James Lynch, when asked what fans should expect from her bout against Marina Rodriguez she said she would like it if her fight against Rodriguez is more than just another fight on the McGregor/Poirier 2 undercard. She wants fans to say, “Did you see that fight?,” so that they will want to watch her fight again, which she hopes to do at least two more times this year after UFC 257.
Ribas fought in July of last year against Paige VanZant. She won via submission making that her fourth victory since joining the UFC. As fans know, winning matters a lot but who the wins are over matters more. With the victory over VanZant, Ribas quickly became a fan favorite and she was originally booked against Michelle Waterson for UFC 257, who was replaced by Rodriguez.
As for preparation with the change from Waterson to Rodriguez, Ribas said she did not have to change much for this camp, “because they both kick a lot.” She added, “Maybe after this fight with Marina, I can go to the top,” Ribas said about her upcoming bout at UFC 257. Another name that came up when trying to match Ribas was Carla Esparza but Ribas seems happy to be fighting for now.
Her personality sure fits to make her a star, if she can keep that same energy in her training, 2021 could be a good year for her. Ribas takes on Rodriguez in the main card opening bout at UFC 257 this Saturday night from Fight Island.
How do you think she’ll do?
