Amanda Ribas vs. Virna Jandiroba: UFC 267 Preview
The UFC make their long awaited return to Yas Island this weekend for their UFC 267 showcase and whilst the main card has dominated headlines across the globe, the preliminary card itself has much to offer certainly for the middle-end of the women’s strawweight division. A battle of east Brazil’s finest is set to take place over in Abu Dhabi for the preliminary main event where everyone’s favorite Brazilian, Amanda Ribas steps in the octagon to take on the formidable Virna Jandiroba.
The narrative for this fight has got it all, two Brazilians going head to head to reach that ‘next’ stage in their career, a clash of personalities also through how Ribas has won the heart of the MMA community with her happy, and vibrant demeanour backed by a killer instinct, while the criminally underrated Jandiroba has commanded attention with a silent, but effective climb up the rankings. Ultimately, the most intriguing aspect of the matchup comes down to the position both fighters are currently on in the sport.
Amanda Ribas (12 – 2)
Varginha’s own, Amanda Ribas enters this fight coming off her first UFC loss in January 2021 at the hands of fellow Brazilian Marina Rodriguez. Prior to her sole defeat in the UFC she was riding a 4 fight win streak and notched a number of the divisions most popular fighters including Paige Van Zant, MacKenzie Dern and Randa Markos. Once tipped to become a champ in the division, her ambitions were first cut short due to suffering the effects of Covid-19 which resulted in a scheduled fight at UFC Vegas 26 being cancelled, and a less than fortunate showing on her last visit to Fight Island has rendered this next fight an opportunity to demonstrate her resilience and regain some lost momentum, at least inside the octagon.
Virna Jandiroba (19 – 2)
Jandiroba returns to action following a career-best performance when she defeated Kanako Murata by TKO on June 19th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The #12 strawweight of Serrinha, Brazil has amassed a 3 -2 overall record in her UFC career and has showcased an impressive set of skills that have shown she is best at home fighting some of the world’s best, and her only losses in the UFC are against top elite straw weights in MacKenzie Dern and former strawweight champion, Carla Esparza. It is also worth a mention that Jandiroba is no stranger to strawweight gold, having held strawweight belts on the regional scene in Brazil, and the Invicta FC strawweight strap.
Who Wins, and at what cost?
This fight will begin with both fighters measuring each other in the stand-up, Ribas is known for her jab as witnessed in the fight with Dern, she has a skill in keeping the distance whilst picking apart the head and body, so she will look to keep the distance slipping in and out the pocket, and in true Ribas style, an executed game plan should serve her well so long as she does not allow any mistakes for Jandiroba to capitalize on and take the fight. Jandiroba is no slouch herself, as she has shown many times, the ground is where she calls home, and 13 of her career wins have come by way of submission, so it is clear where the fight needs to be for each fighter to obtain and maintain their momentum.
On paper, despite both fighters being in the win column more often than not, a lot will be determined following the end result of the fight come Saturday. In light of where the fighters stand post-fight, this is a must-win for Ribas, she broke into the top 10 and showed she belonged in those waters, however, a loss against a fighter outside the top 10 will no doubt put her in a difficult spot and as this division tends to breed killers, the climb will only become a harder feat. Should Jandiroba win, she becomes a top 10 fighter in the UFC, gets a valuable win against a big name under her belt, and as she is approaching her mid-30s, this is the time where she needs to put in the work and reap the benefits toward women’s strawweight gold.
Prediction: Amanda Ribas by UD
Featured Image
Embed from Getty Images
