It will have been over a year between fights for Paige VanZant when she gets back in the octagon at UFC Brasilia for a planned bout against Amanda Ribas.
Paige VanZant has her return date set. The popular UFC star, who has been dealing with a nagging arm injury, has been booked to return to the octagon against Amanda Ribas at UFC Brasilia this March. The fight, first reported by MMA Fighting, will be the final bout on VanZant’s current contract with the promotion. Verbal agreements are in place for the fight. The UFC has yet to officially confirm the bout.
Notably, the bout will also come at 115lbs. VanZant had been fighting at flyweight of late, taking her last two fights at 125lbs, after starting her UFC career as a strawweight.
VanZant (8-4) last fought in January, when she submitted Rachael Ostovich at UFC Brooklyn. That win snapped a two-fight losing streak for ’12 Gauge,’ who had suffered losses to Jessica-Rose Clark and Michelle Waterson in her previous two outings.
Austin Vanderford, VanZant’s husband, has been plying his trade for Bellator MMA after being snubbed for a UFC deal on the Contender Series. While it’s not a given that VanZant will join her beau in Scott Coker’s promotion, there’s a chance UFC Brasilia could be PVZ’s finale bout in the octagon.
Amanda Ribas (8-1) will have the fans on her side at the event this March. 26-year old Ribas, a native of Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil, is coming off a win over another popular UFC star, Mackenzie Dern. That win came at UFC Tampa in October, and improved Ribas’ win streak to three.
UFC Brasilia, a Fight Night event, is expected to take place in Brasilia, Brazil, on March 14, 2020.
