Amanda Ribas exited the cage of UFC Fight Night 232 with a deformed face and a smile due to her victory over Luana Pinheiro. The victor admitted that the opponent initially prevailed, but a shift in strategy allowed her to regain her momentum in the remaining parts of the bout and end it with a TKO.
There's no quit in @AmandaUFCRibas 💪
She puts an end to this one with an impressive 3rd round finish! #UFCVegas82 pic.twitter.com/9RD0HTQpnJ
— UFC (@ufc) November 18, 2023
The latest win welcomes Ribas to her return to the strawweight division after shifting to flyweight in May 2022. This victory, nonetheless, didn’t come flawlessly for Ribas, with Pinheiro almost disrupting her win in the first round of their bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
At the start of the fight, Pinheiro managed to overwhelm the opponent, giving her a bruised and bloodied face. During her post-fight conference interview, Ribas admitted that Round 1 was won by the former housemate but shared that after following her aggression, she decided to opt for a new strategy employing her intelligence in the cage.
Despite the visible physical damage she was already showing, Ribas managed to respond effectively to the attacks of Pinheiro. Later, Ribas sent a wheel kick and followed it with an aggressive sequence, pushing the referee to intervene and stop the bout.
This new win snapped Pinheiro’s flawless three-fight winning streak that started in her debut. On the other hand, it brings Pinheiro back to the winning column and the strawweight division.
