Tabatha Ricci

Ricci was out-worked in every phase by Fatima Kline, who beat her to the strikes and mixed in takedowns whenever the fight settled. Ricci stayed tough for the full fifteen minutes but could not get her own grappling going, and lost a shutout decision at 30-27 across the board.

Key moments

• Was out-struck across all three rounds.
• Kline's timed takedowns broke up each of her attempts to build rhythm.
• Never got her own grappling established against Kline's takedown defence.

Ricci dropped a unanimous decision to Virna Jandiroba in her most recent fight and spent too much of the bout reacting to another elite grappler's pace. It was a meaningful setback because a win there would have pushed her deeper into the divisional short list.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision after three rounds.
• Came up short against another high-level Brazilian strawweight grappler.
• The result followed the statement stoppage of Amanda Ribas from the previous summer.

Ricci stopped Amanda Ribas late in the second round and produced one of the strongest wins of her UFC run. The finish mattered because Ribas is durable, proven and difficult to overwhelm once the fight settles into longer exchanges.

Key moments

• Stopped Ribas by second-round TKO at 2:59.
• The finish came off elbows and punches rather than a pure grappling sequence.
• Answered the Yan Xiaonan loss with a much bigger statement than a routine decision win.

Yan Xiaonan outpointed Ricci over three rounds and kept Ricci from turning the fight into the kind of grinding clinch battle she prefers. It was one of those matchups that showed how much harder the top of the strawweight division is once the striking gap stays open.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision after three rounds.
• Could not drag enough of the fight into her preferred grappling sequences.
• The defeat snapped the two-win run that included Angela Hill and Tecia Pennington.

Ricci handled Angela Hill over three rounds and banked another veteran win in a division full of dangerous gatekeepers. Beating Hill mattered because Hill's pace and experience usually force opponents to show they can win disciplined minutes without drifting.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision after three rounds.
• Beat another longtime UFC veteran in a matchup built on pace and scrambles.
• Built directly on the split-decision win over Tecia Pennington.

Ricci edged Tecia Pennington by split decision in St. Louis and found a way through one of the division's craftier veteran style tests. It was not a runaway performance, but it was the sort of close win that matters if a contender run is going to keep moving.

Key moments

• Won a split decision after three rounds.
• Beat a strawweight veteran known for forcing close technical fights.
• Bounced back cleanly from the Loopy Godinez split-decision loss.

Ricci dropped a close split decision to Loopy Godinez at UFC 295 in one of the tighter strawweight fights of that year. The margins were thin throughout, but Godinez did enough on two cards to edge it and set a UFC record as the first woman to win four fights in a calendar year.

Key moments

• Lost a split decision on scores of 27-30, 29-28 and 29-28.
• The result snapped Ricci's four-fight winning streak.
• Godinez became the first woman in UFC history to win four fights in one year with the victory.

Ricci beat Gillian Robertson by fighting a disciplined three-round match against one of the division's best submission threats. Instead of over-chasing the grappling, she stayed smart with her positioning and banked rounds against a dangerous specialist.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision after three rounds in Jacksonville.
• Beat the UFC's all-time women's submissions leader by denying her the kind of scrambles she wanted.
• Extended Ricci's UFC winning streak to four fights.

Ricci put together one of the more complete wins of her UFC run by controlling veteran Jessica Penne and then finishing with an armbar in the second round. The bout mattered because Penne was the more established name, and Ricci did more than just outpoint her.

Key moments

• Submitted Penne with an armbar at 2:14 of round two.
• The finish pushed Ricci to three straight UFC wins.
• It gave Ricci a statement result over a former UFC title challenger.

Ricci outworked Polyana Viana over three rounds and used her grappling pressure to keep the fight in favorable positions often enough to win clearly on the cards. It was a useful divisional win because Viana always carries finishing danger, even in fights she is losing.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision with three 29-28 scorecards.
• Used repeated takedowns and top control to blunt Viana's offense.
• The victory made Ricci 3-1 in the UFC after the difficult short-notice debut.

Ricci earned her first UFC win by shutting out fellow Brazilian Maria Oliveira over three rounds. After the rough short-notice debut against Fiorot, this was the reset she needed at her natural weight class.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision on three 30-27 scorecards.
• Returned to strawweight after debuting up a division against Manon Fiorot.
• The win evened Ricci's UFC record at 1-1.

Ricci's UFC debut came on short notice and up at flyweight, and Fiorot's physical edge eventually told in the second round. Ricci was game, but the matchup was a hard introduction given the weight-class jump and the amount of time she had to prepare.

Key moments

• Lost by standing TKO at exactly 3:00 of round two.
• Stepped in on four days' notice to replace Maryna Moroz.
• Made her UFC debut one division above her preferred strawweight class.

Ricci closed her LFA run by stopping Shawna Ormsby late in the second round in Oklahoma. It was the third straight LFA win and the performance that helped carry her from regional prospect into the UFC signing that followed weeks later.

Key moments

• Finished Ormsby by TKO at 4:50 of round two.
• The stoppage came through ground-and-pound in the closing seconds of the frame.
• It completed Ricci's 3-0 run under the LFA banner.

Ricci needed just over a minute to armbar Vanessa Marie Grimes at LFA 98 and showed how sharp the judo-to-jiu-jitsu transitions could be once she got to her positions. It was the quickest finish of her career to that point.

Key moments

• Submitted Grimes with an armbar at 1:07 of round one.
• The fight took place at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas.
• Improved Ricci to 4-0 as a professional.

Ricci opened her LFA stint with a clean unanimous decision over Kelsey Arnesen in Sioux Falls. The result mattered because it re-established her in a stronger U.S. promotion after the quieter early years of her record in Brazil and Japan-adjacent training work.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision over three rounds at LFA 90.
• Marked Ricci's first fight under the LFA banner.
• Started the three-fight run that ended with a UFC call-up.

Ricci moved to 2-0 as a pro by outpointing Graziele Ricotta over three rounds in Ribeirao Preto. It was an early sign that her game was not limited to quick submissions and that she could handle full-fight pacing when needed.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision after three rounds.
• The bout took place at Brazilian FC 4 in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil.
• It gave Ricci her second professional win in her first year as a pro.

Ricci's professional debut ended with an armbar win over Danielle Cunha in Sao Paulo. The result started the record in the same style that would later define much of her best work: judo and grappling control turning into a clean submission finish.

Key moments

• Won her pro debut by armbar at 2:30 of round one.
• The fight was contested at strawweight in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
• It was the first of Ricci's three professional armbar victories.