At UFC Vegas 54, Amanda Ribas made an emphatic return to the flyweight division in her bout with Number 1 ranked Katlyn Chookagian. It wasn’t meant to be for the Brazilian athlete on the night. She brought the fight to Chookagian, and many believe Ribas did enough to win. One judge scored it for her, however, the other two had it scored to Chookagian.
The split decision may not have gone in Ribas’ favour, but it impressed UFC President Dana White, who gave the bout Fight of the Night. Meaning both athletes walked away with an extra $50k for their incredible performances.
The bout was Ribas’ first of the year after a strawweight match-up with Michelle Waterson in March fell through. Before the fight, she only competed at 125lbs on one previous occasion in the UFC, beating Paige VanZant via submission in the opening round.
Ribas is first-ever IMMAF Flyweight World Champion. An accolade dating back to the first-ever set of World Championships in 2014, where fifteen World Champions were crowned. Her run at gold included wins against Micol Di Segni and Gabriella Ringbblom.
Since her UFC debut, Ribas has only lost to fellow countrywoman and strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez back in January of last year. Before the win, she was ranked 9th in the strawweight rankings and may soon be ranked at Flyweight.
Chookagian will be looking for a shot at a title, however, may meet another IMMAF alumni in the process as France’s Manon Fiorot continues to climb the ranks.
