Amanda Ribas on doping suspension row: The break helped in preparations for UFC debut

UFC signed Ribas to fight in the The Ultimate Fighter 25 finale against Juliana Lima in 2017. But the bout had to be scrapped after the fighter tested positive for Ostarine, a physical performance-enhancing agent.

Amanda Ribas (L) in action against Rose Namajunas. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Amanda Ribas, one of the most talked-about female UFC fighters, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the strawweight and flyweight divisions.

Ribas made her promotional debut back in 2019 against Emily Whitmire at the UFC: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos. She kicked off her UFC career with a second-round knockout win over the American.

But the buildup to the multiweight fighter’s debut was as dramatic as it could get.

UFC signed Ribas to fight in The Ultimate Fighter 25 finale against Juliana Lima in 2017. But the bout had to be scrapped after the fighter tested positive for Ostarine, a physical performance-enhancing agent.

Although she maintained her innocence and stated that she had not taken drugs, Amanda reluctantly agreed to a two-year ban by the USADA, delaying her UFC debut.

However, in May 2019, USADA, after further investigation, determined the positive test likely stemmed from a contaminated supplement, not intentional cheating. and sanctioned an early termination of the ban.

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Ribas, in an exclusive interaction with Sportstar, said that the lengthy hiatus, albeit tedious and depressing, helped her prepare for her UFC debut.

“Those two years were the worst part of my life. At first, I was like, ‘Okay, I’ve signed with the UFC, I’m happy, everything’s going to be good’ and then the doping allegation happened. But my friends and family helped me overcome the depression, and they put me on top again,” she said.

“And training-wise, I understood what is required to perform at the UFC. I gained a lot of knowledge about the UFC during those two years. And when they said I was innocent, I jumped out of my seat and cried a lot.

“When I signed a contract with the UFC, I was very inexperienced. I just understood that it was something huge. So yeah, the break helped me.” she added.

Ribas recently fought Rose Namajunas in a UFC main event on March 23, but lost by unanimous decision. Currently, Ribas has a professional MMA record of 13 wins and five losses. She has finished eight fights (four submissions, four knockouts), and five by decision. Similarly, she has suffered three losses by knockout, and two of her losses came via decision.

Sony Sports Network is the official broadcaster of UFC in India