Amanda Ribas previewed her upcoming main event fight against Rose Namajunas.
On March 23, the UFC will return to the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC Vegas 88. In the main event, Namajunas is scheduled for her second promotional fight at flyweight after coming up short in her divisional debut against Manon Fiorot.
‘Thug Rose’ looks to get back on track, but it’ll be easier said than done, as she will face the number eight-ranked Ribas. The Brazilian fan favorite recently joined Mike Owens for an exclusive interview with MiddleEasy.
Ribas was asked about Namajunas’ latest loss against Fiorot and responded by saying:
“I know Rose [Namajunas] is really good, she’s tough. Maybe she cut a lot of weight to 115…I watched the fight. I know she’s getting better, so I’m prepared to fight against the best version of Rose Namajunas. So, yeah, it will be good.”
Ribas followed up by detailing her expectations for the UFC Vegas 88 main event:
“I think she will put a lot of volume at the fight because she has good conditioning, so I’m training for that too, to get ready to do five rounds. I don’t want to do five rounds. I want to finish the fight before, but if it is five rounds, it will be five rounds on fire.”
Amanda Ribas reveals she’s been a longtime fan of Rose Namajunas
Amanda Ribas made her UFC debut in June 2019. At the time, Rose Namjunas was already a massive superstar after emerging as the UFC women’s strawweight champion after her two-fight series with Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
During the previously mentioned exclusive interview, Ribas had this to say about being a fan of Namajunas:
“I was a fan of Rose [Namajunas] since the beginning because I like her style, her vibes. So, for me to fight against her now, is, okay, Amanda you are coming where you want to be, where you want to go. So, yeah, we are doing a good job.”
Ribas continued by explaining how her career would benefit from a win against Namajunas in the UFC Vegas 88 main event:
“It would be amazing because Rose, she’s not ranked at strawweight or flyweight, but she’s ranked in pound-for-pound. If I get the win, I know I can go to top five, I know that. Or, maybe, do some great fights with great opponents.”
Amanda Ribas last fought against Luana Pinheiro in November 2023. After two action-packed rounds, Ribas landed a highlight-reel spinning wheel kick and followed up with punches to secure a finish in the final five minutes. The 30-year-old Brazilian now looks to continue building momentum by taking out Rose Namajunas.
Watch Ribas’ exclusive interview with MiddleEasy below:
