Tabatha Ricci is aiming to jump right back into UFC strawweight title contention when she faces Fatima Kline on July 18 at UFC Oklahoma City, and she already has her sights set on the division’s next championship bout.
Ricci, who owns a June 2023 decision win over current title challenger Gillian Robertson, wants to leverage a victory over Kline into immediate involvement with the upcoming strawweight title fight between Robertson and Mackenzie Dern, set for the co-main event of UFC 330 on Aug. 15.
"If everything goes well in this fight and I come out without any injuries or anything," Ricci said, "I’ll definitely ask to be the backup for the Gillian vs. Mackenzie fight."
Ricci is coming off an April decision loss to Virna Jandiroba but believes a win over the surging Kline — who has three straight UFC victories over Victoria Dudakova, Melissa Martinez and Angela Hill — can restore her position in the division. "Regardless of whether I get the next shot or not," Ricci said, "I want this victory so I can return to the position I was in before."
Ricci views the matchup as a classic style clash. "I think it’s going to be a striker versus grappler kind of fight," she said. "If she can keep the fight standing, that’ll be good for her. If I can impose my grappling, I’ll win the fight. It’s going to come down to who can implement their game better."
