RIBAS VS NAMAJUNAS – a great card for 24th March

Amanda Ribas vs Rose Namajunas is the headline act for UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on 24th March. This women’s flyweight bout is not a title fight, but it is an exciting clash nonetheless, as Brazil’s Ribas takes on former two-time UFC Women’s Strawweight champion Namajunas.

Ribas vs Namajunas is one of six main fights on the night’s card, which is further supported by eight preliminary fights. Below, we take you through all you need to know about this top night of UFC action.

What are UFC Fight Nights?

There are two types of UFC night, the regular Fight Nights and the ‘numbered’ events – but what is the difference?

UFC numbered events

UFC numbered events, such as UFC 300, are pay-per-view nights with at least one championship belt on the line. The card for a UFC numbered night is typically packed with some of the elite stars of the organisation. It’s where you’ll see the likes of Jon Jones, Zhang Weili, Islam Makhachev and Leon Edwards strutting their stuff.

UFC Fight Nights

You don’t get top championship fights on regular UFC nights, but it’s still possible to catch some of the elite athletes. There are usually a few recognisable stars of the organisation at the top of a UFC Fight Night billing. However, the further down the card you go, the more fighters from the middle and lower tiers will be on show. It’s regarded as being a good opportunity to catch fighters who are working their way up the ladder to stardom and positioning themselves to get a shot at a title fight.

The Card

Amanda Ribas vs Rose Namajunas is the headline bout of this UFC Fight Night. Namajunas will be looking to bounce back after a defeat in her last fight, but she is the favourite in the latest Amanda Ribas vs Rose Namajunas MMA odds.

Here’s what else you can look forward to on the night.

Karl Williams vs Justin Tafa – Heavyweight

US fighter Karl Williams is giving up a serious weight advantage to underdog opponent Justin Tafa. All seven of Tafa’s pro wins have been by knockout, making this heavyweight clash a fascinating contest.

Edmen Shahbazyan vs AJ Dobson – Middleweight

Edmen Shahbazyan suffered a loss in his last bout and will be aiming to get back on track in this one. The US-based fighter is favourite in the UFC odds as he takes on his fellow countryman AJ Dobson, who is rising through the ranks on a 7-2-0 record.

Payton Talbott vs Cameron Saaiman – Bantamweight

This Bantamweight bout is expected to be one of the more closely contested bouts of the night. US fighter Payton Talbott is putting his unbeaten career record on the line against South Africa’s Cameron Saiiman, who is more experienced in the ring.

Billy Quarantillo vs Youssef Zalal – Featherweight

Billy Quarantillo took a win by a unanimous decision in his last bout. The American is a strong odds-on favourite in the UFC odds to win this bout against Morocco’s high-energy Youssef Zalal, who was ranked one of the ten best UFC newcomers in 2020. However, he is entering this contest on a run of three without a victory.

Fernando Padilla vs Luis Pajuelo – Featherweight

Fernando Padilla is entering this featherweight contest on the back of a loss. However, the experienced fighter is taking on a newcomer in Luis Pajuelo, as the Peruvian steps into just his second UFC bout after appearing in last year’s Contender Series.

Prelims:

Kurt Holobaugh vs Trey Ogden

Ricardo Ramos vs Julian Erosa

Miles Johns vs Cody Gibson

Stephanie Bruna vs Julia Polastri

Jarno Errens vs Steven Nguyen

Montserrat Rendon vs Darya Zheleznyakova

Igor Severino vs André Lima

Mohammed Usman vs Mick Parkin

The Main Event; RIBAS VS NAMAJUNAS

The main event of Ribas vs Namajunas is an eye-catching one, and the latest UFC odds have Rose “Thug” Namajunas as the favourite to take the win. The Milwaukee-born 31-year-old enters the fight after back-to-back losses against Carla Esparza and Manon Fiorot, however.

The latter of those fights was at Flyweight, but she is dropping back to her favoured Strawweight for this one, the division in which she has carved out most of her UFC career. Namajunas is a two-time Strawweight champion, winning it for the first time in 2017, before surrendering it to Jéssica Andrade two years later.

She would go on to beat Andrade in a non-title rematch, before winning the Strawweight title for the second time with an epic first-round victory over Zhang Weili after a devastating head kick. Namajunas successfully defended her title against the same opponent but lost her grip on it against Carla Esparza in 2022.

Brazil’s Ribas, who is a black belt in both judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, has produced a mixed run of form in the UFC. She has alternated between a loss and a win in her last six fights, during which she has alternated between Strawweight and Flyweight.

Four of her last seven fights have been on the cards of UFC numbered nights, so she has been a big player. Ribas fights off a 13-4-0 MMA (7-3 UFC) record, and this is a huge night for her. If she can take down Namajunas in the Octagon, it may set her up for a fantastic billing at UFC 301 in May in her home country.

Ribas would have preferred to stay at Strawweight, but after wanting to get into the Octagon with Namajunas for so many years, she was prepared to step up to Flyweight again. This is a superb contest, with little to split the fighters physically. Ribas is a couple of inches shorter than her opponent but has a slightly longer reach.

Ribas perhaps has the better punching power, with four of her UFC victories coming via a knockout. So, she has the finishing power, as displayed in her knockout win over Luana Pinheiro in her last fight. However, Ribas has a high 88% takedown defence rate, which could be key for her long-term survival in the fight.

Namajunas may be happier to get it to the canvas, as she’s a strong grappler and has a superior submission rate of 50%-31% over Ribas. In her last two fights, Namajunas failed to get her offence going, which led to her downfall. However, she is a seasoned pro, and obviously won’t shy away from this chance to get back on the title trail.

What’s next in the UFC Calendar?

Following Ribas vs Namajunas, there will be two more UFC Fight Nights before the next big event on the calendar, UFC 300, on 13th April. This features the reigning light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, in a defence against Jamahal Hill, the number one contender. It should be an explosive contest, and it’s one of two title fights on the night.

In the other fight, Chinese superstar Zhang Weili defends her Strawweight title against the number one challenger, Yan Xiaonan. This is a marquee event, and it will be the first time in the UFC that two Chinese fighters have met for a title bout.

Also on the card are Justin Gaethje vs Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira vs Arman Tsarukyan. Holly Holm will also fight on the night in the prelims against Kayla Harrison.

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