Report: Paige VanZant vs. Amanda Ribas in the works for UFC Brasilia

The UFC looks to be heading to Brazil in March and a pivotal women’s bout between Paige VanZant and the surging contender Amanda Ribas is in the works.

According to a report from MMA Fighting, VanZant will face Ribas in Brasiia, Brazil on March 14. It will be the final fight on VanZant’s UFC contract before presumably testing the free agent market.

The 25-year-old VanZant will return to the Octagon for the first time in, what will end up being, 14 months. “12 Gauge” is coming off of a second-round submission win over Rachel Ostovich at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January, snapping a two-fight losing streak in the process. VanZant has seemingly recovered from multiple surgeries to repair a fractured forearm and will have a tough task ahead of her in enemy territory.

Image: @paigevanzant on Instagram

Paige VanZant was called out multiple times by women’s flyweight standout Maycee Barber but would disregard the requests. Instead, VanZant ended up calling out almost every woman on the flyweight and strawweight rosters besides Barber, who now faces Roxanne Modafferi Jan. 18 in Las Vegas.

Ribas has won three straight, and eight out of nine as she gets to face another big name in women’s MMA in her home country. The 28-year-old made her promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 3 in June after missing over three years of action, finishing Emily Whitmire via rear naked choke in the second round. Ribas would face the returning Mackenzie Dern at UFC Tampa in October and handed the jiu-jitsu standout the first loss of her career with an impressive unanimous decision win. The lone loss of Ribas’ career came via a 2015 knockout at the hands of fellow UFC fighter Polyana Viana in the Jungle Fights promotion.

Ribas was suspended by USADA in 2017 for a positive drug test and would have the two-year ban terminated due to evidence of a contaminated substance.

Who takes it between Paige VanZant and Amanda Ribas at UFC Brasilia?