The UFC is in the process of finalizing a fun matchup at strawweight. MMA Fighting was the first to report today that the promotion was in the final stages of booking a matchup between Amanda Ribas (10-2) and Angela Hill (13-9).
The matchup would take place at a UFC Fight Night on May 8th. For Amanda Ribas, May 8th will be a chance to bounce back. Ribas was riding a hype train heading into her last contest back in January at UFC 257.
The Brazilian strawweight was looking to pick up her sixth straight victory when she took on Marina Rodriguez. Rodriguez is known for her dangerous standup so the game plan for Ribas was to get the fight to the ground.
In the first round, Ribas did a great job of that. Ribas got the fight to the ground and really dominated the first round. However, in the second round, she stood up just a bit too long.
Rodriguez rocked her badly on the feet and was able to get the stoppage. Ribas is still ranked in the UFC‘s top ten coming in at tenth, but another loss in May would be a big hit to the hype that was building around her.
Big UFC spot for Angela Hill
It’s crazy to think about where Angela Hill could potentially be if she had a couple of split decisions go her way. Back in 2019 at UFC 238, Hill lost a decision to Yan Xiaonan. However, she really turned the corner after that fight.
Hill won three straight fights and that earned her a shot at former UFC title challenger, Claudia Gadelha. While many people believe that Hill won the fight, two of the judges gave the fight to Gadelha.
After that fight, Hill got a shot against Michelle Waterson. After the original main event fell through, the UFC promoted this strawweight contest to the main event. These two ladies put on an absolute clinic that night.
The fight was against razor close and two of the judges sided against Hill. Had Hill won both of those decisions, she could’ve been poised to see a title eliminator. Instead, she had to take a step back and took on Ashley Yoder a few weeks ago.
Hill completely dominated the fight and now she’s back on track. She will head into the May 8th Fight Night as the 12th ranked strawweight in the UFC. Whoever wins this fight could be looking at a really big spot in their next time out.