Claudio Ribeiro Sheds His Everyman Skin

Claudio Ribeiro never forgets his roots.

“I’ve worked as a stonemason’s assistant for my father, selling food on the streets, at a paint store, in a champagne factory, selling gas tanks and construction slabs and as a bartender and a bouncer,” he told Sherdog.com. “Thankfully, I don’t have to do any of that anymore.”

Those blue-collar beginnings and a tireless work ethic are now engrained in the 31-year-old mixed martial artist, who will draw his third assignment in the Ultimate Fighting Championship when he takes on Roman Kopylov as part of the UFC 291 undercard this Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Ribeiro owns a 1-1 record inside the Octagon, his position on the roster not yet secure.

A 2022 graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series, Ribeiro made his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 217, where he was victimized by Abdul Razak Alhassan in a second-round knockout on Jan. 14.

“He’s a high-level striker,” Ribeiro said. “That’s how it goes when two strikers clash. We were exchanging fire. I won the first round. Unfortunately, he connected in the second and knocked me out.” The Jundiai, Brazil, native rebounded on May 6, when he put away Joseph Holmes with punches in the second round of their UFC 288 pairing. “The more you train, the better you get,” Ribeiro said. “Mission given, mission accomplished. I did my job, on the ground and on my feet. I gave him problems wherever the fight went.”

Kopylov figures to be another difficult bar to clear. The 32-year-old Russian enters the cage on the strength of back-to-back victories, both of them finishes, against Alessio Di Chirico and Punahele Soriano.

“Roman is tough,” Ribeiro said. “I fully respect him. We’ll bang it out. We’re both strikers. It’s guaranteed that we’ll put on a show.”

Ribeiro split his training camp between the Revira Black Team and Gracie Barra Jundiai in Sao Paulo, Brazil, having sharpened his skills under Vinicius Reviravolta and Luiz Cardoso while working alongside Demian Maia and Elias Silverio.

“I’ve had the best possible camp,” he said. “You’ll see the results during the fight.”

Ribeiro has not made plans beyond Kopylov.

“I’m not one to call out people,” he said. “I’ll let the boss, the UFC, decide who’s next for me.”