Amanda was over the weight limit and, therefore, could not fight for the belt. Photo: Disclosure
Amanda ribas experienced different sensations in Jungle Fight 79, held last Saturday (4). The 21-year-old fighter from Minas Gerais quickly beat Tania Pereda by submission, extending her undefeated MMA record to five professional victories. However, Amanda did not take home the organization's strawweight belt, as she was unable to make the division's weight limit and was unable to qualify to fight for the title.
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In an exclusive interview to SUPER FIGHTS, the athlete justified what happened and stated that the episode was the result of a setback she had with her menstrual cycle. “I was on my period and decided to change the use of two contraceptive packs so as not to have problems with swelling during the fight. But, with a kilo to go, I went to take a bath and the flow started, even though I had taken the medicine. So, my father, who is also my coach, told us to stop cutting weight, because I was already very weak”, said the Minas Gerais native.
Furthermore, Amanda told how she entered the world of martial arts, revealed her admiration for José Aldo, Ronda Rousey e Claudia Gadelha and spoke about his ambitions of reaching the UFC: “Getting there is easier than staying there.”
Check out the interview!
SL: Tell us a little about your story. How did you get into martial arts and MMA?
I started at a young age, with my father (Marcelo Ribas, from “Marcelo Ribas Team”), who teaches me jiu-jitsu, muay thai and MMA. There was a time when I stopped, and I just did Judo. I changed cities, went to Belo Horizonte and trained at Minas Tênis Clube and graduated with a black belt in judo. However, I had two knee injuries and decided to stop judo and move to amateur MMA, something that my father had been encouraging me to do for a long time.
SL: Your career is marked by knockouts and submissions, four out of five fights. How do you define your style?
I always try to finish as quickly as possible because, above all, I think it's beautiful. I look up a lot to José Aldo, I'm a big fan of his. Especially after I went to train at Nova União once and he showed himself to be an example of dedication and humility. As for women, I like to mirror myself in Ronda Rousey and Claudinha gadelha.
A fight between Amanda and Mexican Tania Pereda would have been worth the belt, but the Brazilian didn't make weight. Photo: Disclosure
SL: In your last fight, against Tania Pereda in Jungle Fight, you started with a very big disadvantage and had two points deducted. How was this fight and your preparation for the fight?
I prepared a lot for this fight, I trained really hard and my first objective was to win the scale. But I couldn't do it, I was missing a kilo and I was feeling really bad. After that, I put in mind that my second objective was to win the fight and win in the best way possible, by knockout or submission. Coincidentally, this victory happened on the one-year anniversary of my amateur MMA world title, won there in Las Vegas (on July 4, 2014).
SL: You mentioned the fact that you became overweight. Has this ever happened to you before? What was your weight cut like for this fight?
I'm a bit embarrassed to say it, because I don't like it very much, but I was on my period and decided to change the use of two contraceptive packs so as not to have problems with swelling during the fight. But, with one kilo remaining, I went to make the (ice) bath, because I had already cut three kilos, and the flow started, even though I had taken the medicine. So, my father, who is also my coach, told us to stop cutting weight, to drop that one kilo, because I was already very weak. But it was a learning experience, next time, there's no way I'm going to amend two cards. Furthermore, I gain a lot of weight, last time it was 12 kg, but I'm going to analyze that too, so my body doesn't suffer.
SL: And has this ever happened to you before?
Like I said, I've been fighting since I was very young, I'm involved in the sport and everything. But this is the first time this has happened to me, of not being able to make weight because of this condition. I was very upset. But Wallid (Ismail, president of Jungle Fight) I've already said that I'm going to fight for the belt next time and I'm already paying attention to that.
Amanda (right) won the fight in just over a minute. Photo: Disclosure
SL: Do you already have an idea of when this new title fight will take place and who it could be against?
I'm already thinking about this fight. I only took two days off, July 7th and 8th, and just to rest my body, as my mind is always on. On the same day that I fought, there was a tournament in Rio and I've already watched the fights of my possible opponents and, in addition, I'm looking for fights from girls who can face me. But there's no way to be sure yet, as this will only be defined when Wallid looks for me and confirms who it will be.
SL: And what are your MMA plans in the short and long term?
My short-term plan is to focus on this fight that Wallid said I'm going to have, but I don't know the date yet. So now I'm focused on that. And in the long term it's the UFC, which is every fighter's dream, to reach the top and represent Brazil well there. I want to be a national idol, I want children to look up to me, because sport changes people's lives a lot. But, like it or not, I only have one year of professional MMA. I have experience in other sports and competition, but I want to have more fights before reaching the UFC. Because, in my opinion, getting to the UFC is easier than staying there. There's no point in me getting there and losing due to lack of experience. I want to arrive well, prepared and with experience. I see some fights where new athletes lose due to inexperience and I don't want that to happen to me. To do this, I'm going to train a lot and fight a lot too, because that makes all the difference.
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