Within hours of the news that Michelle Waterson is out of her UFC 257 bout against Amanda Ribas, Marina Rodriguez has stepped in to take her place in what is now a Brazil vs. Brazil strawweight showcase.
As reported by AG Fight, Marina Rodriguez will now be facing Amanda Ribas at UFC 257. From a rankings perspective, Rodriguez presents a minimal difference in the opponent switch for Ribas. Michelle Waterson is ranked #7, and Marina Rodriguez is only one spot beneath her at #8. And a victory over Rodriguez would very probably advance #9-ranked Ribas over Michelle Waterson, as it also would make Ribas 5-0 in the UFC coming off a win over a top-10 opponent.
One difference between Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson is Rodriguez is coming off of a loss to the same woman who handed Waterson her most recent loss: Carla Esparza. Rodriguez entered the UFC with an undefeated 10-0 record and has since turned in a patchy record of two wins, one loss, and two draws. Rodriguez’s biggest win to date was over Tecia Torres, a victory that established her in the welterweight division. Rodriguez will look to earn another major win at UFC 257 by handing Amanda Ribas her first UFC defeat.
Amanda Ribas’s undefeated UFC run began in 2019 with a submission victory over Emily Whitmire. Ribas would then hand Mackenzie Dern her first professional loss followed by wins over Randa Markos and, most recently, a flyweight victory over Paige VanZant. The 27-year-old may only be a couple of wins away from earning a title shot in a division that is in need of some new contenders, so this fight is pivotal to Ribas’s strawweight fast track.
With the addition of this bout, the current UFC 257 lineup includes the following bouts:
Main Event: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier
Joanne Calderwood vs. Jessica Eye
Marina Rodriguez vs. Amanda Ribas
Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Brad Tavares
Shane Burgos vs. Hakeem Dawodu
Nasrat Haqparast vs. Arman Tsarukkyan
Ottman Azaitar vs. Matt Frevola
Who do you think gets the win at UFC 257? Marina Rodriguez or Amanda Ribas?
