Amanda Ribas weighs in for her fight against Emily Whitmire in June 2019. PhotoCred: FanSided
Report: Amanda Ribas vs Angela Hill targeted for May 8
A highly competitive matchup between ranked strawweight contenders Amanda Ribas and Angela Hill is currently being targeted for May 8, which will be UFC on ESPN 24 according to reports. MMA Fighting was the first to report the fight news, which has yet to be confirmed because the contracts are not signed, but both fighters have verbally agreed to the fight.
This will be the first fight back for Ribas since she suffered her first loss in her UFC career against Marina Rodriguez back in January at UFC 257, previously she went 4-0 in the UFC. With wins over Paige VanZant, Randa Markos, Mackenzie Dern, and Emily Whitmire, Ribas quickly established herself as a legitimate contender in the strawweight division but her loss to Rodriguez put a hold on things.
Angela Hill has been a mainstay in the strawweight division throughout her career and most recently got back in the win column with a victory over Ashley Yoder after she suffered two consecutive losses. Before her two-fight skid, Hill racked up three straight victories and was very active throughout 2020, which led her to finally being ranked in the division, a placing that was long overdue for the former Invicta FC champion.
While the rankings are not a concrete standing for any fighter’s place in the division, it’s a good telling sign for where fighters are in their pursuit of title aspirations in their respective divisions. Currently, Hill is ranked at No. 12 in the division, while Ribas is ranked at No. 10. The fight between Hill and Ribas won’t have immediate title implications but the winner of the fight will likely align themselves to leap inside the Top-10 and depending on the matchmaking, could get them a Top-5 opponent in their next fight.
Not to mention that Amanda Ribas and Hill are two of the biggest fan-favorite fighters not only in the division but in the entire UFC.
UFC on ESPN 24 is currently expected to be headlined by a bantamweight showdown between former champion TJ Dillashaw and contender Cory Sandhagen.
