Fatima Kline defeats Tabatha Ricci by unanimous decision
Ricci vs Kline — Women's Strawweight · Du Plessis vs. Usman
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More from this fight.
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Kline out-struck Ricci from the opening bell and controlled where the fight took place.
Well-timed takedowns broke up Ricci's momentum each time she started to build it.
Strong takedown defence kept Ricci's own grappling from ever becoming a route back in.
- Official UFC resultsUFC Oklahoma City results
Who Called It?
How the analysts' picks held up once the cage door closed.
Analyst picks: Ben Duffy Hit; Keith Shillan Hit; AJ Hit; Mike Finch Hit; Half The Battle Hit; We Want Picks Hit; KennyOkoyeMMA Hit; DFS By The Numbers Hit; JakeGerberMMA Hit; James Lynch Hit; The MMA Guru Hit.
All 11 analyst scorecardsWinner, method and round results11 scored · 11 hits · 0 misses
| Predicted by | Pick | Actual | Winner | Method | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 81.5%. Kline · Dec | Kline · Dec | Hit | Hit | Not called | |
| Sees Ricci's best routes narrowed by Kline's striking and grappling advantages, making Kline the straightforward decision pick. Track record: winner called in 13 of 16 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 81.5%. Kline · Dec | Kline · Dec | Hit | Hit | Not called | |
| Rates Kline a future contender and expects her to control long stretches on top for a dominant decision. Track record: winner called in 11 of 15 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 81.5%. Kline · Dec | Kline · Dec | Hit | Hit | Not called | |
| Picks Kline by unanimous decision, seeing her as the prospect with the tools to become a title contender. Track record: winner called in 75 of 109 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 81.5%. Kline · to win | Kline · Dec | Hit | Not called | Not called | |
| Takes Kline to win, agreeing she is the more reliable side while declining to call a method. Track record: winner called in 30 of 49 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 81.5%. Kline · to win | Kline · Dec | Hit | Not called | Not called | |
| Takes Kline to make a statement, praising her hunger, physicality and potential against Ricci. Track record: winner called in 40 of 60 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 81.5%. Kline · to win | Kline · Dec | Hit | Not called | Not called | |
| Calls Kline the better striker, wrestler and grappler, and sees no route for the current version of Ricci to control her. Track record: winner called in 79 of 121 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 81.5%. Kline · Dec | Kline · Dec | Hit | Hit | Not called | |
| Takes Kline by decision, citing her current momentum and Ricci's recent struggles to establish takedowns. Track record: winner called in 22 of 29 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 81.5%. Kline · to win | Kline · Dec | Hit | Not called | Not called | |
| Takes Kline as the stronger all-around prospect, particularly in the striking exchanges. Track record: winner called in 77 of 112 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 81.5%. Kline · to win | Kline · Dec | Hit | Not called | Not called | |
| Takes Kline's superior long-range striking and developing grappling over Ricci. Track record: winner called in 60 of 90 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 81.5%. Kline · to win | Kline · Dec | Hit | Not called | Not called | |
| Takes Kline to win a decision, citing the age, height and reach advantages. Track record: winner called in 26 of 36 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 81.5%. Kline · to win | Kline · Dec | Hit | Not called | Not called | |
| Takes Kline's size, reach and range striking to do more damage over three rounds. Track record: winner called in 66 of 99 resolved picks. | |||||
11 of 11 nailed it.
The experts above are a lens, not credentials we conferred — analyst, fighter or betting desk.
Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
- 12-4-0
- Record
- 9-1-0
- 3-2 last 5
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- 4-1 last 5
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- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
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- Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / minSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Brazil
- Nationality
- United States
- Paragon BJJ / Knuckleheadz Boxing
- Team
- MK Muay Thai / Silver Fox BJJ
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Ricci
Ricci is the more battle-tested name and the better grappler in a pinch — judo entries, top control and enough boxing now to keep rounds close against ranked opposition like Ribas, Hill and Pennington. Her floor is high: even her losses to Jandiroba and Yan came on points against elite strawweights, not by stoppage.
Case for Kline
Kline is six years younger, riding a 4-1 run, and beat the same Angela Hill that Ricci did — only more fluidly. Her striking-to-grappling transitions are quicker, and if she wins the range exchanges she forces Ricci to chase the clinch instead of dictating it.
What We Were Watching For
- Shared-opponent read: both beat Angela Hill — whose performance looked more like a level-up?
- Ricci's judo against Kline's scrambles: can Kline stay off the mat, or does Ricci drag her into grappling rounds?
- Kline's ceiling test: Ricci is the most credentialed opponent of her career — does the jump in level show?
- Rounds, not finishes: neither finishes often, so control time and volume likely decide it on the cards.
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