Highly-touted Brazilian flyweight Amanda Ribas hopes to steal some of Paige VanZant’s fans with an impressive performance at UFC 251 on Sunday. The 26-year-old Ribas (9-1), who has won all three of her fights since joining the promotion, said she was aware of American VanZant’s (8-4) unpredictable style of fighting but intends to carry on her dream of becoming a UFC double champion. “I hope so,” Ribas said at the UFC virtual media day on Wednesday when asked whether she wanted to win over some of VanZant’s impressive social media following. “I think I need to be careful because she’s a little crazy. Sometimes I watched her fight and when you think she’ll kick, she’ll throw a punch. When you think she’ll throw a punch, she’ll take you down. I hope it’s a great fight for me and her because I put everything into this.” Ribas, who beat Randa Markos via unanimous decision in March having notably beaten multiple Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Mackenzie Dern in October last year, explained that she wants to follow in the footsteps of UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion and fellow Brazilian Amanda Nunes . “I’m focusing on Paige but in the future I want to fight in my weight in 115, maybe a top five, someone who is [higher] ranked than me. If the UFC wants me to fight at 125, I hope [to fight] someone ranked, too,” she said. “In the future [I want to copy Nunes], but I’m in the beginning of my career in the UFC. Maybe first [I become champion] in my category 115 and then in 125, but I put my feet on the floor first. I need to dream a lot but also train a lot, but I think in the future, maybe double champ. Now I’m thinking Paige. Next week, top 10, then end of the year maybe the belt.” View this post on Instagram #UFC251 @arthurribaspersonal @marcelofamilyribas #blessed ️ @acai.summer.oficial @72offpokerclub @lagos.quimica.oficial @assaultfitnessbrasil A post shared by AMANDA RIBAS (@amandaufcribas) on Jul 8, 2020 at 8:24am PDT Ribas joined fight headliners Jose Aldo and Jessica Andrade in travelling to Fight Island, describing the moment as “amazing” before learning that former strawweight champion Andrade praised her in her own virtual media day interview. “I [first] saw Jose Aldo in a movie, then I saw him by my side. It was a big deal. Then I saw Jessica and she was talking to me. It was amazing. I feel like a big person, too, like an adult,” she said. “It gives me more energy because sometimes it’s not too good [to be a fighter], but when someone who’s not my family says something like that, it feels good.”