Athletes
Tabatha Ricci | ‘I Just Wanna Fight’
Women’s Strawweight Contender Explains Why She’s Happily Taking A Short-Notice Opportunity To Face A Dangerous Rising Star At UFC Oklahoma City
Tabatha Ricci is excited to jump straight back into the mix, even if it means facing one of the most dangerous prospects in the women’s 115-pound division.
Baby Shark” has accepted the call to step in on short notice, with the 31-year-old Brazilian set to make her return this weekend against rising contender Fatima Kline.
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Given the short-notice nature of the fight, plus Kline’s surging form, it’s the sort of fight that a top 10 contender might normally choose to shy away from. But Ricci has decided to run towards the challenge, and was in a very positive frame of mind when she sat down to chat with UFC.com about her upcoming bout.
“I'm really excited for the opportunity, especially to have this turnaround quick after my [last] fight,” she said.
“I just want to get active. I want to be in the spotlight, and I want to get my position back again, so I'm getting an opportunity that shows up for me.”
The willingness to jump straight back in on short notice against such a dangerous rising prospect like Kline shows how confident Ricci is at this stage in her career. Her last outing against former title challenger Virna Jandiroba ended in a unanimous decision defeat, and she’s clearly keen to put that fight in the rearview mirror and move on.
“I just wanna fight,” she stated.
“I have the fire. I wanna put out everything I trained for the last fight, in this fight. I wanna show that I’ve improved, that I fixed my mistakes, and I wanna put on a show. I want to show my fans in the UFC that I belong here and I'm the next in line.”
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Ricci’s short-notice test comes against former two-division Cage Fury Fighting Championships champion Kline, who suffered the first loss of her professional career on her UFC debut when she was beaten on the scorecards by Jasmine Jasudavicius.
But since then, the New Yorker has won three in a row, with her last appearance seeing her outpoint Angela Hill at UFC 322. Now ranked 14th at 115 pounds, Kline has been identified as a potential contender of the future. Ricci sees that potential, too, but plans to pump the brakes on her momentum this weekend.
Fatima is upcoming, she has some expectations, and being in her position before, I know how she feels, how bad she wants it,” she said.
Tabatha Ricci Pulls Off TKO Victory Over Amanda Ribas | UFC Abu Dhabi
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Tabatha Ricci Pulls Off TKO Victory Over Amanda Ribas | UFC Abu Dhabi
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“But, I want more than her. I'm really hungry, and I've been having the opportunities to [earn a] fight for the belt twice, and then I'm getting the hard road, and I know it's gonna be worth it. So I want it more than her, and I want to [move] my spot up in the rankings.”
Ricci will head into the fight with a significant experience advantage, and admitted that it gives her added confidence ahead of her fight this weekend.
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“I’ve fought almost everybody up in the rankings, and everyone is good here in the UFC,” she said.
“I’ve fought some experienced girls. I fought really tough fights … so I think it gives me a lot of confidence to face Fatima.”
The women’s strawweight division is an exciting place to be in 2026, with a new champion at the top of the division, a clutch of veteran contenders, and a group of talented rising stars looking to gatecrash the title picture.
Sitting seventh in the Meta UFC rankings, Ricci knows that victory on Saturday night should set her up for a big fight towards the end of the year. Ultimately, she wants to force her way to the front of the queue for a shot at the title, which will be contested at UFC 330, when McKenzie Dern will put her title on the line against fellow submission specialist Gillian Robertson.
"I think it's very exciting for everyone in the division,” she agreed.
“Weili is taking a little time off, so I think everyone is hungry to get this belt. I think Mackenzie has a good fight [coming up] against Gillian. I fought Gillian before, so I don’t know how much she’s improved, but I’m really excited for this fight.
“I think she can surprise Mackenzie on the ground, where she’s more aggressive, but Mackenzie also has really good jiu-jitsu. It’s going to be a good one for everyone and the fans to watch.
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“I think this is motivation for me, too, because I know McKenzie came through a couple of losses, and now she's the champ. She also took the hard road,” she explained.
“Gillian also had some hard times at 125, and she changed her whole weight or whole mindset, and now she's doing really well at strawweight. So I think that's really good for us who are coming up and looking to fight for the title, to give us more confidence and motivation. It doesn't matter which road you take, the toughest or the easiest one, you can make it.”
It’s a tight matchup on paper, with both women bringing their respective advantages to the Octagon, and Ricci acknowledges the danger likely to come from Kline, particularly in the stand-up. Ultimately, she said, it’ll all come down to who can implement their game plan the best on fight night.
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“I think we have a kind of similar game. You know she does everything, but she's more like a striker, and I think if one of us does what we do the best, we win that fight,” she suggested.
“So I really want to show my jiu-jitsu and grappling in this match. So I think whoever finds their opponent first in the right moment will get the win.
“I want to get a finish. I want to make a big statement so I can be the next in line for the belt."
UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs Usman took place live from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on July 18, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!