Yesterday we got the news that Michelle Waterson was having to pull out of UFC 257. She was expected to take on rising contender, Amanda Ribas (10-1) in a fight that many fans were looking forward to.
The gut feeling was that the promotion was going to keep Ribas on UFC 257 and search for a new opponent. Well, it didn’t take long for the UFC to find a willing fighter and book another fight for Amanda Ribas.
MMA Fighting was first to report that Ribas will now be taking on Marina Rodriguez (12-1-2) at UFC 257. Rodriguez is currently ranked eighth in the UFC’s strawweight rankings. For the record, Waterson is ranked seventh.
This is a great switch from the promotion who is trying to build up Ribas. They were able to quickly get her another opponent who is ranked in virtually the same position as her previous opponent.
Since making her UFC debut back in 2018, Rodriguez is 2-2-1. A mixed bag of results, but she’s been taking on some top competition since her appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Rodriguez suffered her first career defeat back in July when she lost to former champion, Carla Esparza, by split decision. Prior to that, she had fought to a draw with top flyweight contender and former strawweight, Cynthia Calvillo.
UFC 257 Strawweight Matchup
This is a fantastic matchup pairing together top UFC strawweights. Again, the promotion did a fantastic job of rebooking Ribas and giving her a top ten contender. Both of these ladies show so much promise in their careers.
You get the feeling that the UFC is going to really push Amanda Ribas. She’s become a favorite of the promotion and she’s ran through her UFC competition so far. Notably holding wins over Mackenzie Dern and Paige VanZant.
Ribas will enter the cage in January as the ninth ranked strawweight in the UFC. If she’s able to pickup the victory in January, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the promotion try to move her up against a top five opponent next.