This past weekend, a former two-time headliner suffered her third consecutive defeat inside the Octagon.
Following two back-to-back main event losses, Amanda Ribas looked to turn things around at UFC Abu Dhabi.
July 26 didn’t end up going her way after Ribas was stopped by Tabatha Ricci in the second round following a devastating finishing sequence.
The Brazilian has been one of the top strawweight and flyweight competitors for some time but this dip in form has recently seen her drop three places in the 115 pound rankings to the #10 spot.
Ribas revealed that she would require facial surgery after being injured by a huge elbow in the fight, which has now led to some positive benefits for her career moving forward despite the setback.
Amanda Ribas’ father and coach reveals her previous health issues that are hopefully now behind her
Amanda Ribas had to undergo facial surgery following her loss to Maycee Barber in June of 2023, with her recent loss in Abu Dhabi seemingly aggravating the same injury.
The 31-year-old has competed four times since then, bouncing back with a win over Luana Pinheiro before suffering three consecutive defeats.
Her father and coach Marcelo Ribas recently revealed to MMA Fighting that as a result of the facial injury that she suffered in the Barber clash, the Brazilian fighter has been suffering from some major health issues.
He said that after having a metal plate put in her face, it was dislocated during the the Pinheiro fight, which led to Ribas dealing with pains, faints and seizures.
Having tried to solve these issues through various methods, Ribas’ recent loss to Tabatha Ricci and the need for more surgery following a huge elbow that marked the beginning of the end has allowed them to uncover that the plate was the cause.
“She almost couldn’t train since the Luana fight… [Amanda] was doing psychiatric and psychological treatment thinking that was [the problem],” Marcelo said. “And if it wasn’t for the elbow, maybe we wouldn’t have found out. It’s God, brother. Thank God we discovered what was causing the pains, faints and seizures since the Luana fight.”
Amanda Ribas can reinvent herself once she’s healthy again
With her father and coach going as far as to say that Amanda Ribas was almost unable to train since her last win inside the Octagon, her health issues will have undoubtedly impacted her performances inside the Octagon.
Having already got 13 UFC fights under her belt since debuting in 2019, it looks like the Brazilian is going to have to take some significant time off, but that might be a good move for her at this stage in her career.
Ribas has some big wins inside the Octagon and until this past weekend, she had only lost to the very top contenders in her weight classes.
If Ribas can put her health issues behind her and come back healthy, she can look to redefine herself in the strawweight and flyweight divisions.