Tabatha Ricci vs. Fatima Kline
UFC Fight Night · July 18, 2026 · Paycom Center
OddsTabatha Ricci +360·Fatima Kline -470(DraftKings)
Fatima Kline def. Tabatha Ricci — Decision (unanimous), R3 5:00
Kline aced her first ranked-opponent test with a 30-27 sweep. She controlled the fight with her striking and — as the matchup note flagged — the takedown game nobody talks about, mixing well-timed shots of her own instead of just defending Ricci's clinch entries. Ricci stayed competitive but never got the grinding fight she needed.
The breakdown below was written before the fight.
Rounds will look lopsided one way or the other with little in between: Kline pieces Ricci up at range, or Ricci chains her to the fence and floor. The size and damage math favors Kline — Ricci absorbs nearly five significant strikes a minute, a bad number against this kind of power. Kline by decision in a competitive fight, with a late TKO in play if Ricci starts diving on tired entries.
The Matchup
The classic ranked-gatekeeper test: Kline has looked flawless against everyone she's supposed to beat, and Ricci is the first opponent built specifically to expose a striker — clinch entries, trips, and fifteen minutes of top-position grinding. Kline's five-inch height advantage means Ricci eats jabs on every entry, but Ricci has dragged down bigger strikers her whole career; the question is whether Kline's 50% takedown defense holds up under repeated judo attacks. Kline's own takedown game is the wrinkle nobody talks about — she may not need to keep this standing to win it.
Tale of the Tape
| Tabatha Ricci | Fatima Kline | |
|---|---|---|
| 12-4 | Record | 9-1 |
| 31 | Age | 26 |
| 5'1" | Height | 5'6" |
| 61" | Reach | 67" |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
| Brazil | Country | United States |
| Paragon BJJ / Knuckleheadz Boxing | Team | MK Muay Thai (New York) |
The Numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
Tabatha Ricci
“Baby Shark”
A judoka from Birigui, Brazil who's been throwing people since age six, now a fixture of the strawweight top 10. Her ceiling fights have gone the wrong way — decisions dropped to Yan Xiaonan and Virna Jandiroba — but she stopped Amanda Ribas with second-round ground-and-pound last summer. At 5'1" she gives up size everywhere and makes up for it in the clinch. She stepped into this bout as the replacement after Ribas withdrew.
- LVirna Jandiroba · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Duncan · April 4, 2026
- WAmanda Ribas · KO/TKO, R2 2:59UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. de Ridder · July 26, 2025
- LYan Xiaonan · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Figueiredo · November 23, 2024
Fatima Kline
“The Archangel”
Former two-division CFFC champion from New York whose only loss came up a weight class, on points, to Jasmine Jasudavicius. In the UFC she's 3-0 with stoppages of Dudakova and Martinez and a veteran-schooling of Angela Hill — outlanding opponents nearly two to one along the way. Real power for strawweight, sneaky-efficient takedowns (58%), and this is her step up: a ranked opponent and a number next to her name if she wins.
- WAngela Hill · Decision (unanimous)UFC 322 · November 15, 2025
- WMelissa Martinez · KO/TKO, R3 2:36UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Teixeira · July 12, 2025
- WViktoriia Dudakova · KO/TKO, R2 4:27UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 · January 11, 2025