Amanda Ribas, the UFC star that almost never was
Amanda Ribas |
Luckily for Amanda Ribas, several crossroads drove her to UFC stardom.
Born in August 1993, Ribas’ destiny was set in stone almost from the crib. The daughter of martial arts trainer Marcelo Ribas at the time of Amanda’s birth, Marcelo already had more than 40 Vale Tudo bouts under his belt Amanda was raised inside a gym. Marcelo signed her up for jiu-jitsu classes at a young age, and she was clearly talented.
One day, Amanda quit training to take dance classes with her friends. Dad didn’t take it lightly when she returned to the gym one year later: He signed the 12-year-old kid up for judo classes and gave her a first taste of what MMA was all about.
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Amanda Ribas has scored important victories in the UFC, like a first-round armbar over Paige VanZant on Fight Island and being the first to defeat Mackenzie Dern. That said, her octagon debut still ranks No. 1 for her father and coach Marcelo Ribas, who decided to have it inked on his left arm.
Ribas’ first appearance under the bright lights of the UFC took place in June 2019, three years after his previous MMA bout in the Brazilian circuit. The strawweight prospect submitted Emily Whitmire with a rear-naked choke in Minneapolis, Minn., a turning point for the Ribas clan.