Back to the MMA Newsfeed

Amanda Ribas, the UFC star that almost never was

Luck can play a huge factor in an athlete’s career. Talent, skills, dedication, professionalism, certainly matter more than anything. But your future can take a different path with a flip of a coin.

Luckily for Amanda Ribas, several crossroads drove her to UFC stardom.

Born in August 1993, Ribas’ destiny was set in stone almost from the crib. The daughter of martial arts trainer Marcelo Ribas—at the time of Amanda’s birth, Marcelo already had more than 40 Vale Tudo bouts under his belt—Amanda was raised inside a gym. Marcelo signed her up for jiu-jitsu classes at a young age, and she was clearly talented.