Not only did Amanda
Ribas move up a weight class on Saturday night, but it sounds
as though she was competing at less than 100 percent.
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Ribas was competitive against flyweight contender Katlyn
Chookagian at UFC on ESPN 36, ultimately losing a split
decision in a bout that received “Fight of the Night” honors at the
end of the evening. Marcelo Ribas, the father of the Brazilian
fighter, took to Instagram to reveal that Ribas suffered a “total
rupture of the biceps tendon” 25 days before the fight.
“A very stressful month,” Marcelo wrote on Instagram. “A golden
opportunity to fight world number one. At 25 days, an injury ‘total
rupture of the biceps tendon’ comes in, then physical therapy 3
times a day to try to get [her] to fight. … 25 days without
training our strength which is jiu jitsu and judo. And we’d arrive
in Las Vegas not knowing if we’d be able to handle grappling or
wrestling on the ground.”
Ribas landed three takedowns and controlled a significant portion
of the action with her grappling, but Chookagian’s superior standup
proved to be enough to get the nod from two of the three cageside
judges. It seems likely that following the defeat Ribas will return
to 115 pounds, though a victory would have put her into immediate
contention at flyweight.
“[Amanda] did what she loves to do and gave her heart, even though
she was in a lot of pain she overcame herself and made this
beautiful fight,” Marcelo wrote. “And came what is independent of
the result. The best fight of the night. Pain and injury are
fleeting, but honor and memory are eternal. … soon Amanda will be
back.”