Athletes
Tabatha Ricci Embraces The Spotlight
No. 10 Ranked Strawweight Faces Former Title Challenger Yan Xiaonan In The Co-Main Event In Macau
When you walk around the host hotel in Macau, which is attached to Galaxy Arena, there is signage everywhere about Saturday’s fights. The pink and purple posters are plastered on majority of the walls, with imagery of Petr Yan, Deiveson Figueiredo, Yan Xiaonan and Tabatha Ricci.
For Ricci, it is the first time she has been featured on a poster, so walking around and seeing life size images of herself on every wall and corner is a surreal moment.
“I was just walking around the hotel, and I see it everywhere. I look at all the screens and it's pretty cool,” Ricci said. “It's a dream come true. Hard work pays off. I'm here. I’ve worked hard, and think I deserve it.”
Since joining the UFC in 2021, Ricci has been a threat in the 115-pound division, only dropping two out of her eight fights inside the Octagon. Saturday night in Macau, she enters her toughest test to date, one that could catapult her into the title picture, as she faces former title challenger Yan.
It has been a busy year for “Baby Shark,” who enters her third fight of the year after claiming wins over Tecia Pennington and Angela Hill. Following her win over Hill in August, Ricci was planning on going to Thailand to train, but when she got the opportunity to face Yan, she had to put those plans to the side. Defeating veterans such as Pennington and Hill have given Ricci the confidence to step into a fight with Yan and showcase why she should be the next one to fight for the title.
“I think fighting those last two fights proved to myself that I'm ready for those big challenges in fighting someone like Yan, who just fought for the belt,” Ricci said. “That makes me more confident.”
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Yan is coming off the biggest fight of her career, facing champion Zhang Weili at UFC 300 earlier this year. The 35-year-old lost the contest by unanimous decision, meaning she will be hungry to get back in the win column and also start her journey back to securing a title shot.
The Brazilian has been doing her homework on Yan and sees a strong path to victory.
“We actually trained together at Team Alpha Male once,” Ricci said. “She's a very disciplined athlete, and she's very strong. I remember training with her; I was like, damn, this girl is strong. She has a very good standup game and her right hand is pretty powerful, so we've been working on that, but we’re also watching her fights to see if she has some holes in her grappling. Of course, she's getting better; she's professional, so we all practice where we need to improve. I think she's still learning some grappling jiu-jitsu, and this is what I do the best, so I think that will be a good path for me.”
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As a China native, Yan will likely have the crowd on her side when she makes the walk to the Octagon on Saturday night. It’s the first event in Macau since 2014, and the last time UFC was in China was back in 2019, so it’s a special moment for the Chinese athletes that get to compete on the card.
But that doesn’t faze Ricci one bit. In fact, she embraces it and thinks this is where the big moments are made.
“I like to be the underdog and fighting here in her place actually pushes me more,” Ricci said. “I want to prove everybody wrong, that that's my place and I think champs are made for those opportunities, so I'm very excited.”
Defeating the No. 2 ranked contender in the division would be a huge statement for Ricci, who sits at No. 10 currently. With the champion, Zhang, currently without a fight, there is a question of who that next contender will be, and a win inside Galaxy Arena on Saturday could put Ricci into that conversation.
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That’s what she is going for.
“I want the title shot. That's what I want. For me, it is not an option fighting anyone below in the ranking, but I want to have the opportunity, and beating Yan I'll prove to everybody that I'm ready for the title shot.”
UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Figueiredo took place live from Galaxy Arena in Macau, China on November 23, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!