Amanda Ribas wants to take one step closer to becoming a legend of the sport by defeating ‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas in their main event at UFC Vegas 89.
The Brazilian has made the move back to Flyweight in order to face ‘Thug’ Rose and look to continue her pursuit towards UFC gold.
Speaking to the media, Ribas acknowledged the enormity of her upcoming bout and confirmed that it has only led to putting in even more work in the gym, in order to come out on top. She said:
"All camps are different because it's different fighters and it is a different Amanda Ribas too. So all camps are different because of that and this is special because it is a main event. I trained more to be prepared to have a five round war if needed."
The bout marks Ribas’ maiden main event slot which is of course, a huge moment in her career. Because of this the number 8 ranked star wants to put on a performance that will leave fans talking for some time.
“I am prepared for all, to do all five rounds or for it to end in the beginning. I have trained for war and fight a really good fight that fans enjoy and say ‘okay, this deserves to be a main event.”
‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas has been a star in the MMA world for many years. Ribas admitted that the initial feeling was one of disbelief when she read Namajunas’ name on the contract but before the signature had dried, the 30-year-old’s mindset switched as she remembered a mantra a her father had once told her.
“It was like ‘Oh my goodness, look at who you are fighting against!’ And then the moment that I signed a contract, I put in my mind for that feeling to stop and that’s what I did. My Dad said to me one time, ‘If you want to be a legend, you need to beat one’ and now it's my time."
Last year, Ribas enjoyed her most active year since signing with the UFC making the walk to the octagon 3 times. In her first bout of the year, she took a unanimous decision win against Viviane Araujo at UFC 285, before losing to Maycee Barber three months later. However, the Brazilian got back to winning ways and ended the year in style with a show stopping third round finish against Luana Pinheiro.
Ribas believes activity is key to her success and if she can have another busy year, a shot at the title isn’t totally out of reach.
“I really enjoyed it. My last year, I did three fights. So this year I hope I can do three fights too. I like to be active inside the Octagon, and I hope if I win, if God blessed me with that, I can do top five and maybe go to the belt.”
