“Bad to see the children using drugs” - Amanda Ribas uses UFC bonus money to help Brazilian youth struggling with substance abuse

Amanda Ribas wants to leave a lasting impact in Brazil by helping the youth struggling in her country with substance abuse.

After picking up a Performance of the Night bonus with a TKO win on Nov. 18, 2023, Ribas told MMA Junkie that she plans to use the money to open a facility for the struggling youth community near her hometown. Ribas showed viewers where she planned to do so, in an open lot directly in front of the Ribas Family MMA gym.

In the interview, Ribas said:

"Here, in front of my gym, I will do my project... Some kids, they have parents using drugs or in jail, or they don't have parents... For me, [since my dad was my idol], I wanted to [be like] my dad or my mom. [Those kids] don't have that. So who is their idol in their life?... I want to put this gym here so they can say 'I want to be like Amanda Ribas because she is from here and she conquered the world.'"

Aside from the space where Ribas showed fans where she intends to put her plan into action, the strawweight did not give specifics on what her idea will look like. Based on her comments, the facility will likely model that of a youth community center.

The area where the Ribas Family gym is located is in the fighter's hometown of Varginha, Minas Gerais. In concurrence with Ribas' comments, Varginha has seen an increase in crime in recent years.

---

Amanda Ribas earns a Performance of the Night bonus with wheel kick knockout of Luana Pinheiro

After a violent loss to Maycee Barber in June 2023, Amanda Ribas moved back to strawweight and picked up one of the most impressive wins of her career.

Entering the fight as the favorite, Ribas managed to impress fans by handing Luana Pinheiro her first UFC loss. After losing round one on all three judges' scorecards, Ribas established control in the second round and began to take over early in the third. To cap off her monumental performance, Ribas landed a spinning wheel kick on Pinheiro that marked the beginning of the end.

The win earned Ribas a Performance of the Night bonus, the first in her career of 10 UFC fights.