Athletes
The Changes Are Paying Off For Ricardo Ramos
Six Years On From His Last Fight On Brazilian Soil, Ricardo Ramos Returns Home With A New Team, And A Fresh Approach.
Competing at home is always something special for an athlete, but when you’re a Brazilian fighter competing in the UFC, home games are a little bit more special than most.
That’s what Ricardo Ramos will experience on Saturday night when he returns home to make the walk for his bout against Türkiye’s Kaan Ofli at UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs Gamrot in Rio de Janeiro.
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It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come around too often – this will be the 15th fight of the Ramos’s UFC career and only the third time he’s fought on home soil, with the last occasion coming six years ago in São Paulo.
That fight marked the start of a new chapter for Ramos, who moved back up to featherweight, scored a first-round submission win over Eduardo Garagorri, and banked a Performance of the Night bonus in the process.
Now, after fighting eight more times, with assignments in Las Vegas, Austin, Abu Dhabi, and Perth, Ramos is finally heading back to his homeland to compete again, and he can’t wait to deliver a big performance in front of his home fans.
“It’s close to my family, close to my people, so to represent my country, inside my country, it's amazing,” he said. “So I'm proud to do that. I'm proud to be on the Rio de Janeiro card, and I'm pumped to show everything I trained for.
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“They will be supporting us (fighters) from Brazil, just like it happens in every country, they support their people, you know? and the Brazilians are very passionate about the MMA, so it's gonna be loud, for sure. ‘Uh vai morrer!’”
Ramos returns home with a different team around him this time around. The former Team Alpha Male athlete has switched teams and headed back to his hometown of Sao Paulo, where has joined The Fighting Nerds.
It’s more than just a change of scenery for the 30-year-old. It’s a chance to take a fresh new approach to his training and preparation. And, ahead of his second fight as part of The Fighting Nerds team, he says the change is already starting to pay off.
“I’ve improved a lot,” he said.
“I’ve been training a lot about strategy. I’m with (The Fighting) Nerds, you know? So they are helping me to visualize the fight and the strategy of the game way different than I used to… We did a lot of adjustments and I’m ready to put on a show and put everything I trained for, for so long, in this fight. So I’m ready, man.
“It’s a different type of work than I used to do. They are very smart in the way they train. They are very smart, they analyze the fights a lot, and we’ve analyzed a lot about this guy. It’s something I didn’t used to do before, so it makes me improve a lot.”
Ramos will take on Ofli in a featherweight matchup at Farmasi Arena on Saturday night and said he’s ready for whatever his opponent brings him on fight night.
“It’s always dangerous,” he said.
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“When you put (yourself across from) someone to throw punches at your face, it’s always dangerous, and he wants this fight, just like me… I want the win, and it’s gonna be a fight. We’re both looking for the win, and we’re gonna give our best.”
With Ramos looking to establish some momentum having lost three of his last four, the Brazilian will be looking to channel the energy of the Rio crowd and power his way to a much-needed victory. Then, he says, he hopes to continue his evolution with his new fight team and work his way up the 145-pound rankings.
Ricardo Ramos Records His Second Spinning Elbow KO | UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs Emmett
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Ricardo Ramos Records His Second Spinning Elbow KO | UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs Emmett
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"My first plan is to win this fight, come back to the grind and keep growing, get in the rankings (and) get to the top,” he said. “The focus will always be the belt, to be the champion of the UFC.”
The first step of that plan is to win on Saturday night, where he plans to get his hand raised not just for himself, but for everyone who supports him, from the fans to his family to his new team.”
“To represent the country, represent the family and the team, it’s gonna be amazing,” he said.
“It’s always good to win, right?!”
UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs Gamrot took place live from Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 11, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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