Tabatha Ricci

Brazilian mixed martial artist (born 1995)
Tabatha Ricci
BornTabatha Ricci Fabri Salto
(1995-02-21) February 21, 1995 (age 29)
Birigui, Brazil
Other namesBaby Shark
Height5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Weight115 lb (52 kg; 8 st 3 lb)
DivisionStrawweight
Reach61 in (155 cm)[1]
TeamParagon BJJ (2017–present)[2][3]
Knuckleheadz Boxing[2][3]
Kings MMA (formerly)[3]
Black House[3]
RankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo Miller[4]
Black belt in Judo under Michihiro Omigawa[5]
Years active2013–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins11
By knockout1
By submission3
By decision7
Losses2
By knockout1
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Tabatha Ricci Fabri Salto[6] (born February 21, 1995) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Strawweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of August 27, 2024, she is #9 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings.[7]

Background

Ricci was born and raised in Birigui, Brazil.[2] She has an older sister.[8] Following her father's footsteps, Ricci started training Judo at the age of six and took up Muay Thai at the age of 15.[8][3] She started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 17, at 18 started to train Boxing and had her first professional bout.[8][3]

She moved to Japan in 2017 for a year to compete in SEIZA competitions, before moving to America to focus on mixed martial arts.[9][10]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Right after turning eighteen, Ricci made her professional mixed martial arts debut.[8] Having difficulties in finding bouts after winning her first two bouts, Ricci eventually moved to Japan in 2017 to train various disciplines and compete in custom rules bouts.[8][3] In late 2017 she moved to California in order to focus in her Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[8] In 2020 she signed a three-fight contract with Legacy Fighting Alliance[11] where she ultimately won all of her bouts, defeating Kelsey Arnesen at LFA 90 by the way of unanimous decision,[12] Vanessa Marie Grimes via first round armbar at LFA 98[13][14] and finally Shawna Ormsby at LFA 105 via TKO stoppage in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Replacing withdrawn Maryna Moroz, Ricci made her promotional debut on 4 days notice against Manon Fiorot on June 5, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai.[15] Ricci lost the bout via standing TKO in the second round.[16]

Following her debut returned back to strawweight division and made her sophomore appearance in the organization against Maria Oliveira at UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori on October 23, 2021. She won the fight via unanimous decision.[17]

Ricci faced Polyana Viana on May 21, 2022 at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira.[18] She won the fight via unanimous decision.[19]

Ricci was scheduled to face Cheyanne Vlismas on October 1, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 211.[20] Vlismas pulled out in late August for personal reasons and was replaced by former UFC Women's Strawweight Championship challenger and inaugural Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Jessica Penne,[21] however the fight was cancelled due to an illness with Penne on the day of the weigh in's.[22]

Ricci faced Jessica Penne on March 4, 2023, at UFC 285.[23] She won the fight via an armbar in the second round.[24]

Ricci faced Gillian Robertson on June 24, 2023 at UFC on ABC 5.[25] She won the bout via unanimous decision.[26]

Ricci faced Loopy Godinez on November 11, 2023, at UFC 295.[27] She lost the close bout via split decision.[28]

Ricci faced Tecia Pennington on May 11, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 56.[29] She won the fight by split decision.[30]

Ricci faced former Invicta Fighting Strawweight Champion Angela Hill on August 24, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 62.[31] She won the fight by unanimous decision.[32]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
13 matches 11 wins 2 losses
By knockout 1 1
By submission 3 0
By decision 7 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 11–2 Angela Hill Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Borralho August 24, 2024 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–2 Tecia Pennington Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento May 11, 2024 3 5:00 St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Loss 9–2 Loopy Godinez Decision (split) UFC 295 November 11, 2023 3 5:00 New York City, New York, United States
Win 9–1 Gillian Robertson Decision (unanimous) UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria June 24, 2023 3 5:00 Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Win 8–1 Jessica Penne Submission (armbar) UFC 285 March 4, 2023 2 2:14 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–1 Polyana Viana Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira May 21, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 6–1 Maria Oliveira Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori October 23, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Return to Strawweight.
Loss 5–1 Manon Fiorot TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai June 5, 2021 2 3:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Flyweight debut.
Win 5–0 Shawna Ormsby TKO (punches) LFA 105 April 23, 2021 2 4:50 Shawnee, Oklahoma, United States
Win 4–0 Vanessa Marie Grimes Submission (armbar) LFA 98 January 29, 2021 1 1:07 Park City, Kansas, United States
Win 3–0 Kelsey Arnesen Decision (unanimous) LFA 90 September 4, 2020 3 5:00 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Win 2–0 Graziele Ricotta Decision (unanimous) Brazilian Fighting Championship 4 October 4, 2014 3 5:00 Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Win 1–0 Danielle Cunha Submission (armbar) Fight Masters Combat 1 December 7, 2013 1 2:30 São Paulo, Brazil Strawweight debut.

[33]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "ABOUT | Tabatha Ricci". tabatharicci.com. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Desi Flores (November 20, 2020). Tabatha Ricci talks about MMA, Judo & Seiza – via YouTube.
  4. ^ Tabatha Ricci [@tabatha.ricci] (February 5, 2021). "A New chapter has began. Black belt season is on ! It has been a long journey and a lot of work put in. I am so grateful for everything I've learned and all the amazing people I met through all of it ! I want to thank my mentor @paragonbjj for all the knowledge and for always pushing me to get the best out of me" – via Instagram.
  5. ^ "The MMA Complex #188 - Tabatha Ricci" (Podcast). June 29, 2020.
  6. ^ "Tabatha Ricci ("Baby Shark") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  7. ^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Ashlee Evans-Smith (March 18, 2022). "Ep.88 Tabatha "Baby Shark" Ricci" (Podcast).
  9. ^ "Tabatha Ricci wants a quick turnaround if she wins at LFA 90 | MMAWeekly.com". 2020-09-03. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  10. ^ King, Kristen (2020-11-13). "Fully committed to MMA again, Tabatha Ricci is making up for lost time". MMA-Prospects.com. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  11. ^ Youngs, Jose (2020-06-28). "LFA signs Tabatha Ricci, judo black belt and Mackenzie Dern training partner". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  12. ^ "Conversamos com Tabatha Ricci, que estreou com vitória no LFA 90". MMA Premium (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2020-09-16. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  13. ^ "O Liberal Regional - -Lutadora de Birigui finaliza americana no 1º Round no LFA 98". O Liberal Regional - - (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2021-02-03. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  14. ^ Sherdog.com. "LFA 98 Highlight Video: Tabatha Ricci Armbars Vanessa Marie Grimes". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  15. ^ Marcel Dorff (2021-06-02). "Tabatha Ricci vervangt Maryna Moroz zaterdag tegen Manon Fiorot tijdens UFC Fight Night 189". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  16. ^ Bitter, Shawn (2021-06-05). "UFC Vegas 28 Results: Manon Fiorot Smashes Newcomer Tabatha Ricci". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  17. ^ Shawn Bitter (October 23, 2021). "UFC Vegas 41 Results: Tabatha Ricci Earns First UFC Win Against Maria Oliveira". cagesidepress.com.
  18. ^ Behunin, Alex (2022-02-08). "Tabatha Ricci vs. Polyana Viana Set For May 21 UFC Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  19. ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-05-21). "UFC Vegas 55: Tabatha Ricci Takes Polyana Viana the Distance, Wins Decision". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  20. ^ Behunin, Alex; Anderson, Jay; Anderson, Alex Behunin and Jay (2022-06-07). "UFC: Tabatha Ricci to Face Cheyanne Vlismas on October 1". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  21. ^ Farah Hannoun (2022-08-29). "With Cheyanne Vlismas out, Jessica Penne steps in to face Tabatha Ricci at UFC Fight Night 211". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  22. ^ MMA Junkie Staff (30 Sep 2022). "Jessica Penne illness scraps UFC Fight Night 211 bout with Tabatha Ricci". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  23. ^ Nolan King (2022-11-24). "UFC books Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci for March 4 event". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  24. ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-03-04). "UFC 285: Tabatha Ricci Puts on Dominant Showing, Submits Jessica Penne". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  25. ^ Tkaczuk, Michał (2023-04-22). "Tabatha Ricci vs Gillian Robertson na czerwcowej gali UFC | MMAROCKS". MMA Rocks! (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  26. ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-06-24). "UFC Jacksonville: Tabatha Ricci Fights Smart, Wins Decision Over Submissions Leader Gillian Robertson". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  27. ^ Sherdog.com. "Strawweights Tabatha Ricci, Lupita Godinez to Clash at UFC 295 in New York". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  28. ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-11-12). "UFC 295: Loopy Godinez Sets Another Record in Win Over Tabatha Ricci". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  29. ^ "Tecia Torres returns vs. Tabatha Ricci at UFC Fight Night on May 11". MMA Junkie. 25 February 2024.
  30. ^ Anderson, Jay (2024-05-11). "Returning Tecia Pennington Falls Victim to "Baby Shark" Tabatha Ricci at UFC St. Louis". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  31. ^ Nolan King (2024-07-17). "UFC books Angela Hill vs. Tabatha Ricci". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  32. ^ Jay Anderson (2024-08-24). "UFC Vegas 96: Active Scrap Sees Tabatha Ricci Get Past Angela Hill". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  33. ^ "Tabatha "Baby Shark" Ricci". Sherdog. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  • Tabatha Ricci at UFC
  • Professional MMA record for Tabatha Ricci from Sherdog