Athletes
Tabatha Ricci | The Time is Right
Talented Brazilian Talks Matchup With Virna Jandiroba, Title Aspirations
For the last six months, strawweight standout Tabatha Ricci has been locked into the same routine just about every day, one that has provided her with structure and focus, as well as plenty of smiles.
“It’s amazing!” the Brazilian strawweight said, managing the farm she and her partner, Zuffa Boxing standout “King” Callum Walsh, purchased last year. “I love to be around the animals; working the farm makes me grounded, makes me busy. It’s like a meditation for me; I really like it.
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“(There’s) no time to screw around; just straight business!” she added with a laugh. “Then go back home, take care of my babies, and repeat again.”
Saturday night, the seventh-ranked Ricci makes her return to action in a crucial matchup with fellow Brazilian Virna Jandiroba in the co-main event of this weekend’s fight card at the Meta APEX. It’s her first fight since an electric performance against Amanda Ribas last July in Abu Dhabi, where Ricci collected a second-round finish, and a bout that unquestionably carries title ramifications in the 115-pound weight class.
“I would love to have come back before this, but when you get up in the rankings, it gets harder to fight often,” she said. “We had to wait for the champ to decide what she’s gonna do, had to wait for other girls to fight, and I just don’t think UFC had anyone planned for me in that time.
“I think it worked out perfect because now I have a huge opportunity and I was busy during these six months. Callum had big fights, we had lot of people come to the house — UFC was there recording our lifestyle, interviews —so I was taking the time to support him, keep training, improving my game a lot. I feel like I’ve always been improving every fight, learning new skills, and trying to get my game better. The time is rough waiting to fight, but it was worth it.”
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While the wait on the sidelines can make any fighter restless, the hiatus has proven fruitful as Ricci is now set to step in with Jandiroba, a tenured member of the Top 5 who is returning to action for the first time since challenging for the title last October at UFC 321.
Although she landed on the wrong side of the scorecards in her clash with Mackenzie Dern for the vacant strawweight title, the 37-year-old veteran gave a good account of herself, and the five-straight wins she’d amassed previously to that contest make it clear that she’s not one to be trifled with inside the cage.
“I think it’s a huge opportunity,” Ricci said. “I think it’s the right time — she just fought for the belt, so that puts me right in the spot to where maybe I’ll be next, maybe we’ll see what’s going on. It’s a huge opportunity for me, and it’s the right time, so I’m ready for this.”
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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This isn’t the first time that Ricci has been in this position, and her double mention of the timing of this fight being right signals a definite shift in preparedness this time around.
After registering a pair of hard-fought decision wins over Tecia Pennington and Angela Hill in May and August of 2024, respectively, the ascending “Baby Shark” ventured to Macau to face off with Chinese standout Yan Xiaonan, who was coming off a championship fight against compatriot Zhang Weili at UFC 300. Like Saturday’s matchup with Jandiroba, it was a chance for Ricci to potentially catapult herself into title contention, but unlike this weekend, the skilled Brazilian wasn’t as dialled in and ready for the opportunity as she is now.
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“When I fought Yan, I felt that was the right time, but I think it was a little too soon,” admitted Ricci, who dropped a decision to the veteran contender. “Also, I think she didn’t have nobody to fight, and I stepped up for that fight; I feel like I was giving the UFC a favor at the time.
“I think it was the biggest fight of my career. Yan is one of the best strikers in the division, and I tested myself. I feel like I can step in with anyone that has her striking level in the Octagon, so it gave me a lot of confidence. I learned a lot through that fight and improved my game. Now I think fighting Jandiroba that just fought for the belt against a really high-level athlete, I think that fight against Yan prepared me well for where I am right now.”
And where she is at the moment is staring down both a chance to vault into the Top 5 in the division and a genuine lane to potentially challenge for the title in the not-too-distant future if she’s successful this weekend.
Dern has yet to defend the title she won in Abu Dhabi, and her next move hinges on what the former champion Zhang opts to do after having vacated the belt to venture up to flyweight and face Valentina Shevchenko last November at Madison Square Garden. Recent title challenger Tatiana Suarez got back in the win column last September and is scheduled to face Loopy Godinez next weekend in Miami, while Gillian Robertson put herself in the conversation with a fifth straight win last month.
But beating the last person to challenge for gold has a way of helping you stand out, and potentially getting a win in the books before the fight between Suarez and Godinez happens also works in Ricci’s favor.
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Now all she’s got to go out and do is get her hand raised, which is no small feat, but one she’s determined to accomplish.
“When they match up two grapplers, usually the fight stays on the feet, but I don’t know what Jandiroba has been training since her last fight because she was also fighting a grappler then, so she might have made some improvements watching the fight,” Ricci said. “I think the fight will be everywhere —stand-up, cage, ground; I think we’ll be showing a little bit of everything, and hopefully I can (finish) the fight.
“(After that), of course, I would love my chance for a title shot,” she added. “I think this will put me in the perfect position, but we have to see what Weili is gonna decide, and whatever she decides, I’ll be next in line.”
UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs Duncan took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 4, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!