This past Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC Jacksonville, we saw a big time matchup in the women’s flyweight division. Amanda Ribas (11-4) was looking to win her second straight at flyweight as she was taking on the surging “The Future” Maycee Barber (13-2)
Ribas had proven that she could contend with the best at both flyweight and strawweight during her run in the UFC. She was coming off a big win over Viviane Araujo which showed that she was going to be a tough challenge for Maycee Barber. Meanwhile, Barber had won four fights in a row leading into Saturday.
Amanda Ribas is always a tough out and Saturday night was no different. From the opening bell, Maycee Barber was putting on arguably the best performance of her career, but Ribas wouldn’t go away easily. Ribas was able to do her own damage that Barber wore on her face.
However, as the fight went on, Ribas started fading under the attack of Barber. Barber was able to get Ribas down in the second round and secured a TKO win at UFC Jacksonville.
What’s next after UFC Jacksonville?
Amanda Ribas is always game and she proved that once again on Saturday night. However, she’s bounced back and forth between flyweight and strawweight over the past few years and Saturday might’ve been an indication that she needs to try her luck more at 115 pounds.
Personally, I think that’s where the UFC should direct her next fight. If you’re asking me, I think a good next fight for her could be a rematch. Mackenzie Dern or Marina Rodriguez make sense to me. Rodriguez is on a losing streak but owns a win over Ribas. Ribas owns a win over Dern who now has a lot of momentum at 115.
A win over either would get Ribas close to the top five. If she decides to stay at flyweight, perhaps a fight against former UFC title challenger Lauren Murphy makes sense for Ribas next.