Athletes
Tabatha Ricci Welcomes The Pressure
“Baby Shark” Has Her Sights Set On The Top 10 With A Win Over Angela Hill Saturday In Las Vegas
Since joining the UFC in 2021, Tabatha Ricci has been a problem in the strawweight division. She made her debut against France’s Manon Fiorot on short-notice and up a weight class at 125 pounds. Ricci lost that fight in the second round, but after that, she returned to her normal home at strawweight and went on a four-fight win streak before losing to Loopy Godinez last November in Madison Square Garden.
Three years into her career, Ricci believes she has grown a lot.
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“I've been learning a lot,” Ricci said. “What is good for me, what is not. I have the same team since I started, so, for me, it's very good to have them to grow with me on this journey. It's been very good. I learn, my team learns, and we just get better.”
She got things back on track with a split decision win over Tecia Pennington a few months ago in St. Louis. Now, this Saturday at the UFC APEX, she gets to share the Octagon with another veteran of the sport, Angela Hill.
And it’s someone that she has history with leading up to the fight.
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“I actually trained with her twice, four years ago,” Ricci said. “It was very good training, and I have a very good relationship with her. She's a great person, but I think this is going to be a great fight and I'm looking forward to pressuring her and not letting her get comfortable. That's going to be my fight.”
Hill made her UFC debut in 2014 against Emily Kagan. Throughout her career, she has won a Fight of the Night bonus four times, in addition to one Performance of the Night bonus. The former Invicta FC strawweight champion has 11 strawweight wins in the UFC, the most in UFC 115-pound history and holds the record for the most bouts in strawweight history with 24.
Of course, Ricci wants to be the one to get her hand raised, but being able to face Hill is a milestone for her career.
“It was an honor to train with Angela,” Ricci said. “It was cool to be sharing the mat with her and now I'm going to be sharing the cage with her. For me, this is a big step, and I feel very honored to be sharing the cage with her.”
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Hill currently sits at No. 9 in the rankings, while Ricci sits just outside the top 10 at No.11, which means that defeating Hill could put her at that No. 9 spot and one step closer to the top of the division.
Despite defeating Pennington in St. Louis, “Baby Shark” wasn’t happy with performance and looks to build on that in the co-main event on Saturday night.
“I'm still looking to get in the cage and feel like I’m in the zone, enjoying the fight,” Ricci said. “I know everybody is good and it's very hard to find a zone when you get to the top of the ranks. I'm still looking for that. (My fight with Tecia) was a very close fight, but I thought that I did enough. I'm looking for that with Angela and I'm feeling confident.”
As she has her sights on set on the top 10, the 29-year-old knows that the fights are only going to get harder, but she welcomes the pressure and everything that comes along with her journey to becoming champion.
“Pressure is good if you know how to deal with pressure and take the pressure and turn it into motivation,” Ricci said. “Take some deep breaths, believe in yourself, better yourself and know that what you did is enough."
UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Borralho took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 24, 2024. 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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