Amanda Ribas – Page 12 – Syndication Server

UFC 251 pre-event facts: Is this the best title-fight triple header in UFC history?

The best facts and figures about UFC 251, which features Usman vs. Masvidal, Volkanovski vs. Holloway, and Yan vs. Aldo title fights.

The UFC makes its debut on “Fight Island” Saturday with UFC 251, which takes place at Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

Arguably the strongest championship triple-header in company sits atop the card, with [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) for the welterweight title serves as the main event, [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) vs. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC) for the featherweight title serves as the co-headliner, the [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) for the vacant bantamweight belt in the featured bout.

All six men bring strong resumes into the title fights. For more on the numbers, check below for 70 pre-event facts about UFC 251.

* * * *

Main event

Usman enters the event on a 15-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since May 2013.

Usman is one of four fighters in UFC history to start 11-0 with the promotion. Anderson Silva, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Royce Gracie also accomplished the feat.

Usman is the only welterweight in history to start his UFC career with 11 consecutive victories.

Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak is tied with Amanda Nunes for the second longest active streak in the company behind Nurmagomedov (12).

Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is the second longest in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (12).

Usman has earned eight of his 11 UFC victories by decision.

Usman outlanded Tyron Woodley by a margin of 336-60 (+275) in total strikes at UFC 235, the record for a UFC championship fight.

Usman landed 192 body strikes at UFC 235, the single-fight UFC record.

Usman has defended 100 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC competition, which includes 17 total.

Usman’s 12 takedowns landed against Rafael dos Anjos at the TUF 28 Finale are tied for second most in a single UFC welterweight fight. Luigi Fioravanti holds the record with 13 at UFC 82.

Usman has been controlled for just two seconds in UFC competition, the least amount of time in company history.

Masvidal competes in his fourth UFC headliner. He’s 2-1 in previous main events.

Masvidal competes for a UFC title in his 49th MMA fight, the second most experience in history for a first-time challenger behind Alistair Overeem (56).

Masvidal is 7-4 since he returned to the welterweight division is July 2015.

Masvidal has earned all six of his UFC welterweight stoppage victories via strikes.

Masvidal’s five-second knockout of Ben Askren at UFC 239 is the record for fastest in UFC history.

Masvidal is one of five fighters in UFC history to finish a bout by submission at the 4:59 mark of Round 2. He accomplished the feat at UFC on FOX 8.

Co-main event

[jwplayer 0STa1zgcq-RbnemIYZ]

Volkanovski is the only Australian-born champion in UFC history.

Volkanovski’s six-fight UFC winning streak at featherweight is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Arnold Allen (seven).

Volkanovski enters the event on an 18-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since May 2013.

Volkanovski has outlanded his eight UFC opponents by a 650-301 margin in total strikes.

Volkanovski lands 56.8 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC featherweight competition, the second best rate in divisional history behind Jimmy Hettes (57.3 percent).

Holloway competes in his 21st UFC featherweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.

Holloway’s 16 victories in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Holloway’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Holloway’s eight knockout victories in UFC featherweight competition are most in divisional history.

Holloway’s six third-round stoppage victories in UFC competition are tied with Randy Couture and Yoel Romero for most in company history.

Holloway’s eight knockdowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Jeremy Stephens (11) and Josh Emmett (10).

Holloway is one of three fighters in UFC history to complete 22 octagon appearances without suffering a knockdown. B.J. Penn and Jon Jones are the others.

Holloway is the only fighter in history to land 2,000 or more significant strikes in UFC competition. His 2,071 landed are most in company history.

Holloway has landed 100 or more significant strikes in 10 separate UFC fights, the most in company history. No other fighter has more than seven such performances.

Holloway landed 290 significant strikes against Brian Ortega at UFC 231, the single-fight UFC record.

Holloway landed 134 significant strikes in Round 4 a UFC 231, the single-round UFC record.

Holloway and Ortega combined for 400 significant strikes landed at UFC 231, the single-fight UFC record.

Holloway’s seven fight-night bonuses for UFC featherweight bouts are third most in divisional history behind Cub Swanson (eight) and Chan Sung Jung (eight).

Featured bout

[jwplayer 0hzqhQrF-RbnemIYZ]

Yan can become the third Russian-born champion in UFC history. Nurmagomedov and Andrei Arlovski also accomplished the feat.

Yan’s six-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Yan has earned all three of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.

Yan lands 1.52 knockdowns per 15 minutes in UFC bantamweight competition, the second best rate in divisional history behind Cody Garbrandt (1.58).

Aldo can become the eighth fighter in UFC history to win titles in multiple weight classes.

Aldo is the third fighter in history to fight for a title following consecutive non-title UFC losses. Yoel Romero and Tank Abbott also accomplished the feat.

Aldo is the only two-time UFC featherweight titleholder in history and one of eight overall in company history to have two reigns in a single weight class.

Aldo was unsuccessful in his bantamweight debut at UFC 245 in December.

Aldo is 3-5 in his past eight fights after going undefeated for more than a decade.

Aldo’s 18 UFC/WEC featherweight victories are the most in combined divisional history.

Aldo’s 11 stoppage victories in UFC/WEC featherweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.

Aldo’s 11 knockout victories in UFC/WEC featherweight competition are most in combined divisional history.

Aldo defends 91 percent of opponent takedown attempts in UFC featherweight competition, the highest rate in combined divisional history.

Aldo’s nine fight-night bonuses for UFC/WEC featherweight bouts are second most in combined divisional history behind Swanson (11).

Remaining main card

[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) makes her 17th UFC appearance, the most by any female in company history.

Andrade is 8-2 since she dropped to the UFC strawweight division in June 2016.

Andrade’s 11 UFC victories are second by any female in company history behind Nunes (12).

Andrade’s seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10).

Andrade’s four stoppage victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for most in divisional history.

Andrade’s three knockout victories in UFC strawweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Andrade is one of 11 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a slam. She accomplished the feat at UFC 237.

Andrade is one of four in history to win a UFC title fight by knockout stemming from a slam when she won at UFC 237.

Andrade landed 242 total strikes against Claudia Gadelha at UFC Fight Night 117, the most in a UFC strawweight fight.

Andrade out-landed Gadelha by 194 total strikes at UFC Fight Night 117, the largest differential in a UFC strawweight fight.

Andrade lands 7.22 significant strikes per minute in UFC strawweight competition, the best rate in divisional history.

Andrade’s 10 takedowns landed against Tecia Torres at UFC on FOX 29 stand as the single-fight record for a women’s UFC bout.

Andrade’s six fight-night bonuses for UFC strawweight bouts are the most in divisional history.

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since May 11, 2019. The 427-day layoff is the longest of her more than seven-year career.

Namajunas’ four stoppage victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for most in divisional history.

Namajunas’ three knockdowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Angela Hill for most in divisional history.

Namajunas’ three submission victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Cynthia Calvillo for most in divisional history.

Namajunas’ submission of Paige VanZant at the 2:25 mark of Round 5 at UFC Fight Night 80 is the latest stoppage in UFC strawweight history.

Namajunas’ four fight-night bonuses for UFC strawweight bouts are second most in divisional history behind Andrade (six).

[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) moves up to the UFC women’s flyweight division after spending her first three octagon appearances at strawweight.

[autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Jan. 19, 2019. The 539-day layoff is the longest of her more than seven-year career.

VanZant is 1-1 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in January 2018.

VanZant earned the first stoppage victory in UFC strawweight history with her knockout of Kailin Curran at UFC Fight Night 57.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

Bubbly Amanda Ribas finds comfort zone entering UFC 251 fight vs. ‘big name’ Paige VanZant

If Amanda Ribas is nervous heading into her highest-profile fight at UFC 251, she sure isn’t showing it.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] was all smiles Wednesday ahead of her UFC 251 fight against Paige VanZant.

At a pre-fight media day, Ribas (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) giggled and, at times, burst out laughing as she animatedly fielded questions from reporters. She showed no sign of nerves entering her highest-profile bout to date.

“No, it’s very welcomed for me,” Ribas told MMA Junkie when asked about the pressure that comes with hype. “That’s awesome because in the UFC there’s a lot of fighters. When they say this about my name – about Amanda Ribas – it’s wonderful for me.”

Ribas is delighted by the prospect of fighting “big name” fighters. VanZant (8-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is the second-straight matchup Ribas deems a big name, having defeated highly touted prospect Mackenzie Dern in October 2019.

“For me, it was unbelievable again, because, before Paige VanZant, I fought against Mackenzie Dern,” Ribas said. “She has a great, big name, too. Now, (I’m fighting) against Paige. I’m fighting with great girls (and) big names in the sport – not just in MMA but in sports. I think with that I can be a big name, too.”

[lawrence-related id=531871,530858,529473]

Looking at the betting odds, Ribas sits at -850 on average across all major sportsbooks (pert BestFightOdds). However, being the favorite doesn’t bother Ribas. In fact, she likes it. The Brazilian fighter joked she needs to find out how to put money on herself.

“I’ve been training a lot for that,” Ribas said. “So when I saw the betting odds, it was amazing for me. I’m looking for how to put money down because that’s good. I’m really happy with that. And pressure? I don’t put pressure on myself, because I’ve fought since I was a baby. This world, this competition, this vibe is my home. For me, it’s big, and I really love it.”

Even with a win over VanZant, Ribas thinks she still needs time to develop before she sniffs title gold. Perhaps a top 10 or top five strawweight opponent will be next, but Ribas isn’t ruling out another fight at flyweight, either.

“I feel I need a little time, because I just have three fights in the UFC,” Ribas said. “(I’ll be) 4-0, but I am an ambitious girl, so maybe in my category, in my weight, 115, I hope the next fight can be with (the) top 10 or top five. Maybe, if the UFC wants in 125, too, against some hulking girl. I’m looking for that, too.”

UFC 251 takes place Saturday at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

[vertical-gallery id=452183]

UFC 251: Amanda Ribas full pre-fight interview

Amanda Ribas talks to media ahead of her bout with Paige VanZant at UFC 251

UFC 251: Make your predictions for Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal, two other title fights

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 251 event in Abu Dhabi, which features three title fights at the top of the card.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 251 event in Abu Dhabi.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN 12 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC 251 takes place Saturday at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:

Pages: 1234567

Amanda Ribas: Paige VanZant fight a chance ‘to test myself’ at higher weight class

Amanda Ribas is a ranked strawweight, so fighting a division up doesn’t make sense, but she wasn’t about to pass on the opportunity.

[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] isn’t sure why the UFC offered her to fight [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] at flyweight.

Ribas, who’s currently ranked in the top 15 of the strawweight division, has competed at 115 pounds for the majority of her career. So when she was offered to face VanZant at 125, Ribas was a little confused but certainly didn’t shy away from the challenge of competing in a weight class above.

Ribas (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will open up the UFC 251 main card when she faces VanZant on July 11 in Abu Dhabi.

“I would have fought Paige VanZant at strawweight, but I’m not sure why the UFC made me an offer at flyweight,” Ribas told MMA Junkie. “I accepted. It’s not my usual weight class, but I’d like to test myself. I’d like to see how I would do by moving up in weight. I don’t enjoy getting too comfortable. I like to challenge myself.

“I think the pressure is more on her to win since it’s her weight class and since it’s supposed to be the last fight on her contract. If I happen to get ranked at flyweight, too, all the better. Who knows if I can follow in the steps of Amanda Nunes, our beloved ‘Lioness,’ and perform at the highest level in two weight classes?”

[lawrence-related id=529473,506270]

Since making her UFC debut last June, Ribas has scored three big wins over Emily Whitmire, Mackenzie Dern and, most recently, Randa Markos in March. Meanwhile, VanZant hasn’t competed since January 2019 due to multiple arm surgeries that have kept her sidelined.

VanZant is an unranked opponent in a different division, but Ribas is not underestimating her and isn’t expecting the layoff to affect her much.

“I think her fame isn’t for no reason,” Ribas said. “She scored a beautiful switch-kick knockout (against Bec Rawlings). She also has wins by submission. Her fights are always very fast paced. I have to be very careful against her. Her last bout was in early 2019, but I don’t think that would be a problem for her.

“For example, I waited for three years for my UFC debut, and I was able to score a win in my debut despite all the pressure. I think I had a great debut. I’m getting ready for the best possible version of Paige. If she happens to be rusty, all the better for me.”

[vertical-gallery id=452183]

UFC announces full ‘Fight Island’ lineup, includes 47 bouts in 15 days

“Fight Island” is real, and now the four cards that will take place there are real, as well.

UFC president Dana White today announced the complete lineup for the four cards that will take place next month in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The unique setup has been necessitated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has made it difficult to get international fighters into the U.S. to compete.

“I think this is going to be a really unique experience, not just for the fighters, but for us,” UFC president Dana White said during the announcement. “It’s going to be cool. It’s going to be something different. It’s never been done before, and however long this thing goes on, and however long it’s hard to get people in from other countries, we will have these fights at ‘Fight Island’ – Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.”

First up, it’s UFC 251 on July 11, which features a trio of title fights.

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

Champ [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] – for welterweight title
Champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] – for featherweight title
[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] – for vacant bantamweight title
[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]
[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]
[autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]
[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Danny Henry[/autotag]
[autotag]Roman Bogatov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)

[autotag]Alexander Romanov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]
[autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag]
[autotag]Vanessa Melo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]
[autotag]Martin Day[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]

The promotion then returns on July 15 with an event headlined by featherweight contenders [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

The complete lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (10 p.m. ET)

Calvin Kattar vs. Dan Ige
[autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]
[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag]
[autotag]Chris Fishgold[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY (7 p.m. ET)

[autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vinicius Moreira[/autotag]
[autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Taila Santos[/autotag]
[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]
[autotag]John Phillips[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag]
[autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]
[autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag]

Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo

Three days later, on July 18, the promotion hosts its third card in eight days, when top flyweight contenders [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) meet for a second time with the vacant UFC flyweight title on the line.

The full card includes:

MAIN CARD (9 p.m. ET)

Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez – for vacant flyweight title
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]
[autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]
[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]
[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD (6 p.m. ET)

[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khadis Ibragimov[/autotag]
[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nad Narimani[/autotag]
[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Joe Duffy[/autotag]
[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag]
[autotag]Aleksander Doskalchuk[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]
[autotag]Davi Ramos[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]
[autotag]Carlos Felipe[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]

Finally, the UFC’s run in Abu Dhabi ends on July 25 with a much-anticipated middleweight contest between former champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) and former welterweight title challenger [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC).

That night’s full lineup includes:

MAIN CARD

Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till
[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag]
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]
[autotag]Raphael Pessoa[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]
[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag]
[autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]
[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]
[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag]

Official poster for UFC 251 on ‘Fight Island’ revealed

Check out the official poster for UFC 251 on “Fight Island.”

The colossal UFC 251 pay-per-view event set to take place at “Fight Island” now has an official poster to go with it.

UFC 251 takes place on July 11 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, which has been branded as “Fight Island” by the UFC. The “Fight Island” initiative was made in order to provide fighting opportunities for international athletes who can’t enter and compete in the U.S. given COVID-19 travel bans.

[lawrence-related id=525778,525713,525738]

The UFC 251 poster features the three title fights: Champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] for the welterweight title; a featherweight title fight rematch between [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and former champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]; and a battle for the vacant bantamweight belt pitting [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag].

And though their faces might not be present, the UFC 251 poster also features a key strawweight bout in writing: [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Page VanZant[/autotag].

Check out the poster below:

🏆🏆🏆

Coming to #UFCFightIsland… 🏝#UFC251 #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/ZETAXCFx05

— UFC (@ufc) June 10, 2020

Amanda Ribas, Paige VanZant agree to rescheduled fight at July 11 UFC event

The UFC is ready to try this again with Amanda Ribas and Paige VanZant.

The UFC is ready to try this again with [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] and [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag].

Ribas and VanZant have verbally agreed to fight each other July 11 at a to-be-determined UFC event, two people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Junkie on Thursday. The news was first reported by Combate.

Ribas (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and VanZant (8-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) originally were scheduled to square off March 14 at UFC on ESPN+ 28, but VanZant was forced to withdraw in January after suffering a setback with an arm injury that required a second surgery.

Ribas went on to defeat Randa Markos by unanimous decision to push her overall winning streak to four fights. Afterward, she said he hoped to rebook her matchup with VanZant. Ribas reiterated that desire last month when she spoke to MMA Junkie, calling for the fight to take place on “Fight Island.”

On Thursday, VanZant posted a picture of herself in fight gear on Instagram with the caption, “Coming to an island near you.”

View this post on Instagram

Coming to an island near you…….

A post shared by Paige VanZant (@paigevanzant) on May 21, 2020 at 9:56am PDT

For VanZant, the fight with Ribas represents the last on her UFC contract. She plans on testing free agency afterward. In her last bout at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January 2019, VanZant submitted Rachael Ostovich with an armbar to snap a two-fight losing streak.

[vertical-gallery id=388806]

‘Ambitious girl’ Amanda Ribas aims to join UFC strawweight title mix this year

Amanda Ribas is happy taking the slow and steady approach as she pursues UFC glory.

[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] is happy taking the slow and steady approach as she pursues UFC glory.

Ribas (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has already managed to make a name for herself in the strawweight division. She’s picked up impressive wins over Randa Markos, Mackenzie Dern and Emily Whitmire, and now the Brazilian is targeting a showdown with Paige VanZant.

At just 26, Ribas does not feel the need to skip steps as she tries to become champion. She wants to earn everything that comes her way and said patience will be a virtue in her long-term success.

“I think when we rush, we put ourselves too far ahead,” Ribas told MMA Junkie. “I think we need to (go) little by little, to get what we want. Sometimes my dad and my coach say, ‘Calm down, relax, train – everything happens (at) the right time.'”

Ribas, No. 14 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie strawweight rankings, might be patient, but she also attempts to look at her career from a realistic perspective.

If Ribas gets her desired matchup with VanZant and wins, she’ll be 4-0 in the octagon and in position for a big fight. After that, it’s possible a title eliminator wouldn’t be far behind.

Although the trajectory of every fighter’s career has been altered by the UFC indefinitely suspending its event schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ribas remains optimistic she could elevate her career into title-shot territory within 2020.

“I think I’m an ambitious girl, so I think at the end of this year or the beginning of next year,” Ribas said. “I need more fights. I know that. Not just for the rankings, but for me. I need more experience with the UFC, with the fans and maybe the end of this year or the beginning of next year (I will be a title contender).”

[vertical-gallery id=452183]

Amanda Ribas wants Paige VanZant fight rebooked on Dana White’s island

Amanda Ribas hopes to finally get her hands on Paige VanZant when the UFC schedule resumes.

[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] hopes to finally get her hands on [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] when the UFC schedule, currently paused by the coronavirus pandemic, resumes.

Ribas (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is even willing to travel to Dana White’s private island to ensure it happens, and VanZant (8-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is apparently interested in competing in that location, too.

The Brazilian strawweight was supposed to get the fight at UFC on ESPN+ 28 in March, but VanZant was forced to withdraw due to an arm injury. Ribas went on to dominate replacement opponent Randa Markos, and now she wants her original booking back.

“I want to go to Dana’s Island,” Ribas told MMA Junkie. “She wants to go too, so let’s do it. I think it will be a good fight, not just for me, but for the fans, the UFC, too. She put that on the Twitter, (so) why not? I did a tweet (calling her out).”

It remains to be seen if VanZant is up for the task, though. Ribas, No. 14 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA strawweight rankings, has looked like a force in all three of her octagon wins thus far. VanZant, meanwhile, has been out of action for 15 months and counting, and has competed just twice since December 2016.

Fighting Ribas after such a long period of inactivity would arguably be a bad idea, but VanZant has, if nothing else, shown herself to be tough with a willingness to fight anyone. For that reason, Ribas thinks she would take the fight, and anticipates an exciting matchup.

“It would be so good,” Ribas said. “She fights like she doesn’t stop. All the time kicking and striking, I think it would be an exciting fight with me and her. I hope she says.”

[lawrence-related id=502086,500041]

With the UFC recently postponing UFC 249 and suspending plans for all events indefinitely, it remains to seen when fights will start being booked again. White claims he’s going to have a private island that hosts UFC fights up and running within the next month, and Ribas said she’s jubilant about the idea of getting on one of those cards.

“Imagine that? It’s a mystery island,” Ribas said. “I imagine like Mortal Kombat the game with the arenas. I imagine something crazy. Because of that I want to fight.”

[vertical-gallery id=452183]