Brendson Ribeiro is dreaming of a perfect debut at UFC 298: Stopping Zhang Mingyang this Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif., and pocketing an extra $50,000 post-fight bonus.
The light heavyweight debutant joins the UFC after an impressive finish on the UFC’s Contender Series in September 2023, which saw him knock out betting favorite Bruno Lopes with a powerful right hand in less than four minutes. Competing for a contract in front of UFC CEO Dana White might add stress to some athletes, but Ribeiro said he simply embraced the pressure.
“I’ve dreamed with that moment for a long time,” Ribeiro said on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast. “I’ve been through that many times inside my head. It’s funny that I saw Dana White before my fight. He was walking on the hallway after talking to a guy [Ramon Taveras] who lost a controversial stoppage right before my fight, promising him another chance, when we met.
“I yelled at him, ‘Dana White, watch my fight! I’ll put on a show tonight!’ When he signed me, he mentioned that. I knew I was going to win that fight. I was the underdog and only my team and I knew we were going to win that fight by knockout.”
Ribeiro said he only laments one thing about his experience on Contender Series.
“He owes me a bonus because there are no bonuses on the Contender Series, right?” Ribeiro laughed. “I think my knockout was one of the most impressive knockouts of the season. He walked away owing me a bonus. Michael Bisping said backstage after my fight that if that happened in the UFC, I’d be $50,000 richer. [Laughs.]”
A protege of veteran coach Andre Dida in Curitiba, Brazil, Ribeiro expected to be on the UFC roster many years ago, but now looks back at the key defeats he suffered as much-needed learning experiences.
Ribeiro had earned two straight stoppage wins in his return to the cage following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when Marcio Breno knocked him out in a Brazilian regional show in January 2022. Eager to rebound, Ribeiro then flew to Russia four weeks later to face David Barkhudaryan, and once again lost in just 67 seconds.
“I was ready to sign with the UFC or the Contender [Series] — at least I thought I was, but those losses made me the athlete I am today,” Ribeiro said. “I had to reinvent myself. I had never been knocked out before in my career, and then I’m knocked out two times in a month. I took the fight in Russia on short notice to see if I could erase that loss and ended up losing again.”
Ribeiro was lucky to leave Moscow for Qatar after the defeat just hours after Russia initiated the attack on Ukraine. Other Brazilians on the card weren’t so lucky. Ribeiro was safe, but losing badly back-to-back still left a lasing impression on his psyche.
“It’s like a movie going on inside your head,” Ribeiro said. “I’ve always finished my fights, and tonight I’m knocked out? I had to swallow that. I could be in the UFC with a win, but it’s fighting. One guy wins, one guy loses. But to tell you the truth, that’s what changed me. I understand today why I didn’t win those fights. Credit to my opponents, but these fights made me get to the UFC when I’m in my best.”
Ribeiro’s UFC debut versus Zhang was planned for Dec. 9 in Shanghai, China, but the match fell through after the promotion moved the whole event to Las Vegas. Ribeiro and Zhang couldn’t enter the United States on short notice due to a lack of visa, so the company moved the light heavyweight contest to UFC 298 instead.
Zhang now enters the cage riding a nine-fight finishing streak with seven knockouts and two submissions, but Ribeiro loves the matchup.
“His record is very similar to mine,” Ribeiro said. “He’s a well-rounded guy, but he doesn’t have the weapons I have. When we talk MMA, mixing things, I’m a level above. Knockout or submission, I will end this fight. And if it’s a decision, it’s going to be a war, but my hand will be raised in the end.”
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