Michelle Waterson defeated Angela Hill via decision in her most recent octagon appearance. | Zuffa LLC
Amanda Ribas is getting another high-profile bout in the octagon as the strawweight talent agrees to battle Michelle Waterson at UFC 257 on Jan. 23, multiple people with knowledge of the booking told MMA Fighting. Ag. Fight first reported the booking.
The yet-to-be-announced pay-per-view event will likely take place in Las Vegas’ UFC APEX.
Ribas (10-1) submitted Emily Whitmire in her first UFC appearance in 2019, returning four months later to hand Mackenzie Dern her first MMA loss. Ribas went 2-0 in 2020 with a decision over Randa Markos followed by a quick first-round armbar against Paige VanZant in a flyweight contest.
The Brazilian was originally expected to return against former UFC champion Carla Esparza on Dec. 12 but the bout did not come to fruition.
Waterson (18-8) won a split decision over Angela Hill in her most recent octagon appearance in September, bouncing back from consecutive decision defeats to Esparza and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
The former Invicta FC atomweight queen moved up to 115 pounds since joining the UFC in 2015, scoring victories over the likes of VanZant, Cortney Casey, Felice Herrig and Karolina Kowalkiewicz.