Amanda Ribas is looking to steal the show Jan. 23.
Ribas (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) faces Marina Rodriguez at UFC 257 on “Fight Island,” which is headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
In a card stacked with some of the sport’s most notable names, Ribas is gunning for a standout performance. But in order to do so, she has to get through a durable Rodriguez (13-1-2 MMA, 2-1-2 UFC), who’s only lost once in her career – a split decision to former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza.
“I hope it happens really fast with a great submission or a great knockout because I like fast fights – but she’s really tough,” Ribas told MMA Junkie.
Prior to drawing Rodriguez, Ribas was scheduled to face Esparza. That fight fell though, and so, too, did a new matchup with Michelle Waterson. Rodriguez may not be as highly ranked as those two opponents, but Ribas thinks with a dominant performance, she can jump to title contention.
“I hope so, because I was supposed to fight Carla, and I don’t know what happened,” Ribas said. “I was supposed to fight Michelle, and they’re both really good in the rankings. So if I was supposed to fight against her, maybe if I do a great fight against Marina, I can go up in the rankings and maybe fight for the title.”
