Gillian Robertson won five in a row to earn a shot at the UFC strawweight belt against Mackenzie Dern in the co-main event of UFC 330 on Aug. 15, and the last woman to beat her in the octagon wants to insert her name in the conversation for a shot at the gold with a win Saturday at UFC Oklahoma City.
Tabatha Ricci, who won a decision against Robertson in June 2023, is set to take on hot prospect Fatima Kline on July 18. It’s no easy task, she said, but one that could put herself in a good position in the 115-pound division.
“If everything goes well in this fight and I come out without any injuries or anything,” Ricci told MMA Fighting, “I’ll definitely ask to be the backup for the Gillian vs. Mackenzie fight.”
Ricci believes Robertson “has a great chance” of winning the UFC title in Philadelphia, but gives Dern “a slight edge because of her experience, her grappling background, and probably the confidence she has right now as well.”
“But Gillian is also a dangerous fighter,” Ricci added. “I don’t know how much she’s improved, but she’s definitely shown a lot of development. Gillian is very aggressive on the ground too and I don’t know if Mackenzie has faced someone as aggressive on the mat as she is. Maybe that could surprise her. But Mackenzie’s jiu-jitsu is also very good, so it’s going to be a really interesting fight. Or maybe they’ll end up keeping it standing the whole time.”
If Robertson can pull off the victory and bring the UFC belt back to Canada, Ricci hopes she decides to try to avenge her most recent octagon defeat.
“Maybe if she wins, she’ll call me out,” Ricci said with a laugh. “That would be great.”
The Brazilian has to get herself back on the winning column first on July 18, attempting to rebound from an April decision defeat to Virna Jandiroba. The plan, she said, is to perform and impress “so I can put myself back in line for the title.”
“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 considers Kline “very dangerous on the feet” after winning three in a row in the UFC against Victoria Dudakova, Melissa Martinez and Angela Hill, but feels experience and a well-rounded mixed martial arts game should give her the advantage come Saturday night.
“I think I have a lot more experience than she does,” Ricci said. “I’ve fought some of the best athletes, especially in striking. I fought Yan, who I consider one of the best strikers in the division, and that gave me a lot of confidence going into this fight. I’ve fought pretty much everyone near the top of the ranking, so that gives me a lot of confidence. Of course, she’s a fighter who’s getting a lot of attention, who’s on the rise, and who’s put together several UFC wins.
“I think it’s going to be a striker versus grappler kind of fight,” she continued. “Whoever executes their game plan better will win. Whoever finds the better position and strategy early in the fight, early in the round. 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.”
