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%.
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.”
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