Tabatha Ricci

Overview

Twelve UFC fights, nine of them going the full three rounds. Tabatha Ricci's career is built on the judges' scorecards, for better and worse.

"Baby Shark" is a Brazilian strawweight out of Paragon BJJ / Knuckleheadz Boxing, and she's 7-5 in the UFC. Five of those seven wins came by decision. The two finishes both landed in the second round, a submission and a TKO. She has never finished a fight in the first.

She carries a two-fight losing streak into her next fight, both defeats by unanimous decision.

UFC Career

Ricci debuted in June 2021 against Manon Fiorot and lost by TKO at 3:00 of round two. It was her only stoppage loss in the UFC.

She rebuilt with back-to-back unanimous decisions over Maria Oliveira and Polyana Viana. In March 2023 she submitted Jessica Penne in round two at UFC 285, then beat Gillian Robertson, an opponent our model rates as strong, by unanimous decision. That run of four wins is her longest in the UFC.

Loopy Godinez ended it with a split decision at UFC 295. Ricci answered with two more wins, a split decision over Tecia Pennington and a unanimous decision over Angela Hill.

In November 2024 she lost a unanimous decision to Yan Xiaonan, another opponent our model rates as strong. In July 2025 she stopped Amanda Ribas in round two, at 2:59.

The last two fights went the other way. Virna Jandiroba, rated strong by our model, took a unanimous decision in April 2026. Fatima Kline did the same that July.

Four of her five UFC losses have been decisions. She hasn't been finished since her debut.

Fighting Style

Ricci is a wrestler first. She takes opponents down far more often than most fighters, but she rarely hunts for submissions once she does. Her one submission win in the UFC is the exception, not the pattern.

Her takedown defense is about average, so she is neither easy nor especially hard to take down.

On the feet, she is a busy striker who is hard to hit cleanly, though her accuracy is on the low side. She also takes more strikes than most, so she doesn't escape exchanges untouched.

Her UFC record is 7-5, built mostly on decisions: five of her seven wins went the distance, with one TKO and one submission, both in round two. She has no first-round finishes, and her longest win streak is four.

Notable Wins

• Jessica Penne — submission, round 2 (2:14), UFC 285 (2023)
• Amanda Ribas — TKO, round 2 (2:59), UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs de Ridder (2025)
• Gillian Robertson — unanimous decision, UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria (2023)

Quick Facts

• Division: Women's Strawweight
• UFC record: 7-5 (professional record across all promotions: 12-5-0)
• UFC debut: June 2021
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height: 5'1" | Reach: 61"
• Team: Paragon BJJ / Knuckleheadz Boxing
• Born: State of São Paulo, Brazil