logo
Amanda Ribas set to face Tabatha Ricci at UFC 318 in New Orleans

Amanda Ribas set to face Tabatha Ricci at UFC 318 in New Orleans

USA Today20-05-2025

Amanda Ribas set to face Tabatha Ricci at UFC 318 in New Orleans Top 10 strawweights Amanda Ribas and Tabatha Ricci will meet at UFC 318.
UFC 318 continues to take shape with the addition of a matchup between top-10 strawweights.
Contenders Amanda Ribas and Tabatha Ricci will clash as they look to get back on track. MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with two sources following an initial report from MMA Mania.
A lightweight BMF title fight between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier will headline the pay-per-view event on July 19 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans,
Ribas (12-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC), who currently holds the No. 7 spot in the UFC straweight rankings, returns to three-round action after back-to-back main event losses. After stopping Luana Pinheiro in November 2023, Ribas, 31, would go on to drop a unanimous decision to former strawweight champ Rose Namajunas in a flyweight bout, and then tap out in the third round to Mackenzie Dern in January.
Ricci (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), currently ranked No. 10 by the promotion, will also look to return to the win column. In her last outing, Ricci, 30, dropped a unanimous decision to former title challenger Yan Xiaonan in November. Prior to the setback, "Baby Shark" picked up a pair of decision wins over Tecia Pennington and Angela Hill.
Current UFC 318 lineup

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ilia Topuria sees scenario in which he has shot to win titles in three UFC divisions
Ilia Topuria sees scenario in which he has shot to win titles in three UFC divisions

USA Today

time41 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Ilia Topuria sees scenario in which he has shot to win titles in three UFC divisions

LAS VEGAS – It's possible Ilia Topuria's stay at lightweight will be short-lived – even if he wins the title next week. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) meets Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) for the vacant 155-pound title in the main event of UFC 317 next week at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Topuria earlier this year vacated the featherweight title so he could move to lightweight and a shot at title in a second division, even though he wasn't able to retain his 145-pound strap at the same time. Topuria reiterated Friday that he wanted a shot at former champ Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC), who vacated his lightweight belt and announced a move to welterweight. He's expected to challenge new 170-pound champ Jack Della Maddalena later this year. "To be honest, I wanted to face (Makhachev) because he was the guy who was dominating anyone and everyone (at lightweight)," Topuria said Friday at a media scrum ahead of an open workout in Las Vegas. "But at the end of the day, I can't control what they do. The only thing I can control is what I do. So I wanted to move up, I wanted to fight for the title of this division. That's what I'm doing. He decided to move up also. I can't do anything else but go and fight whoever wants to fight me." Except Topuria said there maybe is something else he could do, in theory, to get a fight with Makhachev. If Makhachev, longtime protege of Khabib Nurmagomedov, wins the welterweight title, and Topuria has the lightweight belt, he might go through this whole exercise again to fight at 170 pounds. The UFC never has had a fighter win titles in three different divisions. "We'll see how he does in the welterweight division, if he wins the title and I win the title in the lightweight division. Maybe I move up or he comes down to the lightweight division and we have the fight that everyone wants to see," Topuria said. "… If Islam becomes the world welterweight champion, for sure I'm going to push for that shot and I will move to the welterweight division."

Joe Rogan references Ilia Topuria to highlight that it's 'an amazing time for the sport'
Joe Rogan references Ilia Topuria to highlight that it's 'an amazing time for the sport'

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

Joe Rogan references Ilia Topuria to highlight that it's 'an amazing time for the sport'

Amidst concern over the UFC's decreasing popularity, Joe Rogan insists the sport is in a great spot. Several super fights such as Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria and Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall have either failed to materialize or are yet to materialize, leaving UFC fans frustrated. But popular podcast host and UFC commentator Rogan thinks skill and talent-wise, MMA is the best it's ever been. He used undefeated, former UFC featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) as an example. "Ilia Topuria, who's fighting Charles Oliveira at the end of the month – that guy is insane. That guy has knocked out two of the greatest featherweights of all time: (Alexander) Volkanovski and Max Holloway," Rogan said on a recent episode of his "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. "Nobody could knock those guys out at featherweight before. He did, and he made it look easy. He's just on another level from everybody. Now he's moving up to 155 pounds. He decided he cleared out that division, and he's moving up. "There's guys like that, their level is above everybody else's level, and with Ilia, it's everything. It's his submissions, his kicks, his punches, everything. He can do anything. He does everything perfect. All his technique is perfect. He's f*cking driven and ultra confident. This is an amazing time for the sport, man. It's a crazy time because these guys that are coming in with like one fight in the UFC, they look like world-class contenders right away." Topuria takes on Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) for the vacant lightweight title in the UFC 317 main event on June 28 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

'Game over': After fighting out contract, Paul Craig would retire if not re-signed by UFC
'Game over': After fighting out contract, Paul Craig would retire if not re-signed by UFC

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

'Game over': After fighting out contract, Paul Craig would retire if not re-signed by UFC

Paul Craig fought out his contract at UFC on ESPN 69, and now he's not sure what the future holds. Craig's light heavyweight bout against Rodolfo Bellato this past Saturday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta was ruled a no contest after he illegally upkicked Bellato with just one second remaining in Round 1. The outcome of the fight leaves Craig (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC) in a quandary, because he is winless in his past four fights and closed out his deal in unceremonious fashion. He's not left in limbo, and Craig said if UFC doesn't re-sign him, he's unsure if he'll fight again – period. "This was the last fight in my contract so, I've fought my five fights for that last contract," Craig said on the "On Paper with Anthony Smith" podcast. "And it's in the balance of like do UFC sign me? I'm coming off a few losses as a middleweight. I moved back to light heavyweight to re-energize myself my career. I don't believe I'm ready to retire from this sport. I believe there's still a lot of learning that I'm doing, and it's the training. If I'm training and doing the same stuff and getting beat up in training, and going into fights and doing the exact same stuff and getting beat up, then it's time for me to walk away. "But I do believe I'm getting better. When I look at how much my striking improved against Bo Nickal, look at how my standup has improved over the years, that's where I'm working really hard. In jiu-jitsu as well, like I'm still learning. I'm still learning simple moves in jiu-jitsu which I'm able to add to my game, and as soon as that stops, then I'll walk away from this sport. But, it's not happening right now, and I would like to continue to fight for the UFC, but if they decide that it's not for me then they kind of force your hand, and then it would be game over for me. I would just walk away from the sport." Scotland's Craig, 37, holds notable wins over former champions Magomed Ankalaev and Jamahal Hill at light heavyweight. After going 1-3 at middleweight, the he returned to his original home against Bellato at 205 pounds, but wasn't able to rebound due to the unfortunate ending.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store