LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] didn’t want to dwell on her first UFC loss for too long.
After a 4-0 start to her UFC tenure, including a win over top contender Mackenzie Dern, Ribas suffered her first octagon setback in January when she was stopped by Marina Rodriguez in Round 2 at UFC 257.
The cheerful Brazilian admits it was a tough pill to swallow that brought her to tears as soon as she flew home.
“When I lost in Abu Dhabi, I was like, ‘I’m here in Abu Dhabi, so let’s enjoy the hotel and everything,'” Ribas told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex. “But when I came home, I saw my mom, and I started to cry. I cried a lot, and my mom is not a fighter, but it was the best words I could listen to. She said ‘Amanda, heads up. You won and lost all your life since you were a baby because you competed since you were a baby.’
“And I was like ‘Hmm,’ and after that it was like, ‘OK let’s go. Let’s learn about this,’ because I was winning the fight, and for some stupid mistake, I stopped. I think, not just a fighter, I think nobody can stop in life, so I stopped, and she threw the perfect punch. So I learned this, and now I’m more active with more energy because I want this fight.”
Ribas (10-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) wanted to get right back on the horse and was offered to face Angela Hill (13-9 MMA, 8-9 UFC) in this Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 24 event, just a couple of months after her loss to Rodriguez.
“I was looking, and everybody in my weight division has a fight,” Ribas said. “I was looking at myself like, ‘Oh my goodness, I need to fight,’ because everybody is fighting and getting better in the rankings. I need to fight, and the UFC gave me this opportunity in one month and yes, let’s go. I will make the weight, I will do my best to do the best fight ever, because I want this fight.”
In her return appearance, Ribas takes on another striker in Hill, and she is eager to prove that she can shine in this stylistic matchup.
“Yes, for sure I’m capable because I’ve already seen this before,” Ribas laughed. “But I think Angela is really active inside the cage because she doesn’t stop and outside the cage, too. If the UFC need somebody, they call Angela. She’s always fighting.”
UFC on ESPN 24 takes place at the UFC Apex. The night’s main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.
To see the full interview with Ribas, check out the video above.
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