LAS VEGAS -- Amanda Ribas is the type of person who notices, and appreciates, the small things in life. And when she arrived at the fighter hotel on Tuesday and checked in with the UFC for her main event flyweight bout on Saturday at Apex against former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas, she was asked to sign posters.
And since they're headlining UFC Vegas 89, Ribas had the opportunity to sign on her own face.
"I'd love to feel [the energy of an] arena, but for this fight, I was signing the poster with my face and it was so exciting," she said, giggling. "Since the first day of my camp, I have been looking forward to this. It can be [quiet in Apex] so sometimes when I fight in that kind of situation, I try to make noise in my head and imagine the crowd is screaming and going crazy."
Those who attend on Saturday will probably be making a lot of noise since the styles of Ribas and Namajunas mesh perfectly to make an action-filled fight. But the bout is too important in Ribas' career for her to focus on anything but finding a way to win the fight.
There was a lot of buzz about her when she finally joined the UFC in 2019. She had signed in 2017, but failed a drug test and received a two-year suspension. It turned out, though, she hadn't doped but rather had unknowingly consumed a contaminated supplement.
The suspension was immediately ended and she joined the UFC with a 6-1 mark and the potential to become a champion.
And that potential remains, but Ribas needs to find consistency. After posting impressive wins over Emily Whitmire, Mackenzie Dern, Randa Markos and Paige VanZant in her first four UFC bouts, Ribas has been on a roller coaster since: Win one, lose one.
She's fought elite competition, but she's found that her aggressive nature has often worked against her. She'll far too often abandon the game plan and turn the fight into a brawl. While that is fun for the audience, it's certainly not pleasing to her coaches and it hasn't done her favors in terms of her record.
After that 4-0 UFC start, she's 3-3 in her last six, and needs a win over Namajunas to really be considered a serious championship contender. She's ranked seventh at strawweight and eighth at flyweight, but hasn't really made a move toward the top.
Working within the plan on Saturday is clearly one of her aims.
"I'm always trying to get better, not as a technical fighter but as a smart fighter, too," Ribas said. "I think I am up and down, or, I was up and down a lot because sometimes, I just think with my heart and fight with my emotions. Now, I'm trying to learn how to be a smart fighter. I like to watch Namajunas because she's really smart. I'm trying to do this and so I'll be listening more to my coaches and not just my heart."
Ribas is a good finisher, and eight of her 13 pro victories have come by finished. She has diverse skills and has won by knockout, armbar, kneebar and rear naked choke.
It's sometimes in pursuit of those finishes that she can get overzealous and make a mistake.
Her father, Marcelo, has been pleading with her to remember the game plan.
"I think he likes that I'm emotional, but he always says to me, 'Amanda, try to remember our strategy!' " she said, grinning. "Everybody there is like, 'Too much! Too much.' They want me using my brain, too, so I'm focusing on that."
Namjunas is a two-time strawweight champion and one of the great females in UFC history. She got to the top by being able to capitalize on opponents' mistakes.
And so it's critically important for Ribas to fight under control, because Namajunas will be looking to use Ribas' aggressiveness against her.
"I'm very experienced and I've been in there in all kinds of situations so ... I also really know how to capitalize on mistakes," Namajunas said. "I think that's what kind of separates us. I think what she is really good at is her heart, her determination and her energy. She's got a very strong personality, so her will and determination is great. I love that, but it's just that I believe my calculations are more precise than hers, and I think that's going to factor into it."
A win would vault RIbas up significantly and break that lose one, win one streak she's been on. It would make her more of a legitimate contender in both classes she competes in. And she feels she's ready to take that next step.
"I feel very strong at 30," Ribas said. "I don't know my testosterone (giggles) but I know I am the best version of myself now, I know that."