Amanda Ribas Bio
Amanda Limborco Alcântara Ribas is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the women’s Strawweight and Flyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Born on August 26, 1993, she fights out of Varginha, Minas Gerais, and represents American Top Team. A decorated grappler with black belts in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, Ribas turned professional in 2014 after winning the IMMAF World Championship. As of mid-2025, she holds a professional record of 13 wins and 7 losses and is ranked #11 in the UFC women’s strawweight division.
Early Life and Background
Amanda Ribas was born and raised in Varginha, a city in the southern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. She is the daughter of Marcelo Ribas, a coach who teaches judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Muay Thai. Growing up in her father’s gym, Ribas was introduced to grappling at a very young age and once described herself by saying, “I was born on the mat. It was for me.” She trained under her father throughout her early years and earned a place on one of Brazil’s national youth judo teams.
Competitive judo came to a halt when Ribas suffered knee injuries that forced her off the mat for several years. During that break, she explored other interests, including dance, which she later described as something her father strongly disliked. Her return to combat sports began after watching colleagues from her father’s gym prepare for an amateur mixed martial arts tournament, an experience that reignited her competitive drive and pointed her toward MMA.
Path to MMA
Ribas’s transition into mixed martial arts began with amateur competition, where she quickly proved herself on the international stage. In 2014, she won the IMMAF World Championship in the Women’s Flyweight division, a result that established her as one of Brazil’s top amateur prospects. The title also gave her the confidence to turn professional the same year, joining a growing wave of well-rounded grapplers entering the sport.
She began her professional career fighting primarily in regional Brazilian promotions and trained out of the Marcelo Ribas Team alongside her father. Ribas compiled a 6-1 record on the regional circuit, a run that showcased her grappling pedigree and developing striking game. That strong pre-UFC resume earned her a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the world’s largest MMA organization.
Amanda Ribas Career
Early Career (2014-2017)
Amanda Ribas’s professional career began in 2014 on the Brazilian regional circuit, where she built a reputation as a technical grappler with improving stand-up skills. Working under her father Marcelo Ribas, she racked up victories across multiple Brazilian promotions and refined a well-rounded style built on judo throws and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu submissions. By the time she signed with the UFC, she had assembled a 6-1 record and established herself as a prospect worth watching.
Her UFC debut, originally scheduled for July 2017 at The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale, was delayed after she was flagged by USADA for a potential anti-doping violation stemming from a June 7 sample. Ribas received a two-year sanction after testing positive for ostarine, but the suspension was terminated on May 3, 2019, after USADA determined the result was caused by a contaminated dietary supplement. Cleared to compete, she eventually made her long-awaited UFC debut in 2019.
UFC Breakthrough (2019-2020)
Ribas made her official UFC debut on June 29, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 3, where she submitted Emily Whitmire with a rear-naked choke in the second round. Just four months later, she took a significant step up in competition against grappling standout Mackenzie Dern at UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson. Ribas controlled the fight on the feet and on the ground, earning a unanimous decision victory that announced her arrival as a serious contender in the strawweight division.
In early 2020, Ribas added another win over Randa Markos via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira, stepping in on short notice after Paige VanZant was injured. The rescheduled bout with VanZant then headlined a portion of UFC 251 on July 12, 2020, where Ribas secured a first-round submission win. Heading into 2021, she had built a perfect 4-0 UFC record and was widely viewed as one of the promotion’s rising stars at strawweight.
Setbacks and Resurgence (2021-2023)
The next phase of Ribas’s UFC career brought her first taste of adversity. After multiple opponent changes, she faced Marina Rodriguez at UFC 257 in January 2021 and lost via second-round technical knockout. A scheduled bout with Angela Hill that year was cancelled twice due to lingering COVID-19 symptoms, interrupting her momentum. Ribas returned in October 2021 at UFC 267 and earned a unanimous decision over Virna Jandiroba, but a split-decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian in May 2022, a fight that earned her first Fight of the Night bonus, showed how competitive the strawweight division had become.
Ribas bounced back in early 2023 with a unanimous decision win over Viviane Araújo at UFC 285, but a second-round technical knockout loss to Maycee Barber in June halted her climb. Later that year, she stopped Luana Pinheiro in the third round at UFC Fight Night 232, a Performance of the Night-winning finish that reinforced her finishing ability. By the end of 2023, her UFC record reflected both the highs and the learning curves of competing against the world’s best.
American Top Team Era (2024-Present)
Training out of American Top Team in Florida, Ribas stepped into the main event spotlight on March 23, 2024, against former UFC Women’s Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas at UFC on ESPN 53. She lost by unanimous decision in a fight that highlighted her durability against a storied veteran. A rematch with Mackenzie Dern, originally set for late 2024, was rescheduled to January 11, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 249, where Ribas was submitted via armbar at the end of the third round.
On July 26, 2025, at UFC on ABC 9, Ribas faced Tabatha Ricci in a bout moved from its original UFC 318 date. She suffered a second-round technical knockout loss, a result that paused her run toward the division’s top tier. Despite the recent setbacks, her overall body of work inside the Octagon, including multiple post-fight bonuses, has kept her firmly inside the UFC’s official rankings at strawweight.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Ribas’s signature achievements are her 2014 IMMAF World Championship title and her 4-0 start inside the UFC, which included submission wins over Emily Whitmire and Paige VanZant. She has earned a Fight of the Night bonus for her bout with Katlyn Chookagian and a Performance of the Night award for her third-round finish of Luana Pinheiro. Her willingness to face top opposition, including a main event against Rose Namajunas, has marked her as a perennial test for elite strawweights.
Amanda Ribas Career Wins
Amanda Ribas’s career wins reflect the well-rounded skill set of a fighter equally comfortable finishing on the ground or outpointing opponents over three rounds. Across her professional career, she has recorded 13 victories, with 4 by knockout or technical knockout, 1 by submission, and 2 by decision according to available records, while also securing several UFC post-fight bonuses. Inside the Octagon, her most notable wins include submissions of Emily Whitmire and Paige VanZant, a decision over Mackenzie Dern, and a third-round stoppage of Luana Pinheiro.
UFC Highlights
Ribas’s UFC tenure has produced multiple memorable performances, beginning with her rear-naked choke of Emily Whitmire in her 2019 debut. Her unanimous decision over Mackenzie Dern in late 2019 and her first-round submission of Paige VanZant at UFC 251 cemented her status as a rising star. She later earned a Fight of the Night bonus in a close split-decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian and a Performance of the Night award for her finish of Luana Pinheiro, underscoring the excitement she tends to bring to the cage.
Amanda Ribas Family
Family Background and Fighting Lineage
Ribas comes from a martial arts family rooted in Varginha, where her father, Marcelo Ribas, built his reputation as a coach of judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Muay Thai. She trained under him for much of her early career, and her grappling-heavy style is a direct reflection of that upbringing. She has also been associated with the Marcelo Ribas Team, the gym her father leads, which served as the foundation for her amateur and early professional development.
Personal Life
Born and currently residing in Varginha, Minas Gerais, Ribas maintains strong ties to her hometown while training with American Top Team in the United States. She has spoken openly about her close relationship with her father and the central role that family has played in her martial arts journey. Public information about her broader personal life, including marital status, has not been widely reported.
2025 Season Performance
Amanda Ribas’s 2025 campaign has been defined by challenges and the search for a return to form in the UFC’s strawweight division. She opened the year with a third-round armbar loss to Mackenzie Dern in their January 11 rematch at UFC Fight Night 249, a result that snapped momentum she had hoped to build from her late 2023 win over Luana Pinheiro. The loss pushed her further from the division’s title picture and underscored the difficulty of the matchup against a fellow high-level grappler.
Her next scheduled bout, against Tabatha Ricci at UFC 318, was moved to UFC on ABC 9 on July 26, 2025, where Ribas was stopped via second-round technical knockout. The defeat added to a stretch of recent setbacks and prompted a reassessment of her training approach and future matchmaking. Despite the results, her #11 ranking in the women’s strawweight division reflects the body of work she has compiled since signing with the UFC.
Looking ahead, Ribas is expected to remain a respected veteran presence at strawweight, with her grappling pedigree, durability, and willingness to face top opposition keeping her in meaningful matchups. Her standing at American Top Team and her experience against former champions position her as a meaningful test for rising contenders. As the division continues to evolve, Ribas’s path back to the win column will likely hinge on sharpening her striking defense while continuing to leverage the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo base that has defined her career.