Fatima Kline defeats Tabatha Ricci by unanimous decision
Ricci vs Kline — Women's Strawweight · UFC Fight Night
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Kline out-struck Ricci from the opening bell and controlled where the fight took place.
Well-timed takedowns broke up Ricci's momentum each time she started to build it.
Strong takedown defence kept Ricci's own grappling from ever becoming a route back in.
- Official UFC resultsUFC Oklahoma City results
Watch
More from this fight.
More videos · 4 clips
Signature moments
Signature moments
Who Called It?
How the analysts' picks held up once the cage door closed.
Analyst picks: Ben Duffy perfect call; Keith Shillan perfect call; AJ perfect call; Mike Finch called it; Half The Battle called it; We Want Picks called it; KennyOkoyeMMA perfect call; DFS By The Numbers called it; JakeGerberMMA called it; James Lynch called it.
10 of 10 nailed it · 4 nailed the finish ★.
The experts above are a lens, not credentials we conferred — analyst, fighter or betting desk.
Full analyst picks ↓
Ben Duffy Analyst called 13 of 16 Ben Duffy: predicted Kline · Decision. Actual Kline · Dec. Result: Perfect call.
Sees Ricci's best routes narrowed by Kline's striking and grappling advantages, making Kline the straightforward decision pick.
Track record: winner called in 13 of 16 resolved picks, 8 a perfect call.
Keith Shillan Analyst called 11 of 15 Keith Shillan: predicted Kline · Decision. Actual Kline · Dec. Result: Perfect call.
Rates Kline a future contender and expects her to control long stretches on top for a dominant decision.
Track record: winner called in 11 of 15 resolved picks, 7 a perfect call.
AJ Betting deskAnalyst called 52 of 71 AJ: predicted Kline · Decision. Actual Kline · Dec. Result: Perfect call.
Picks Kline by unanimous decision, seeing her as the prospect with the tools to become a title contender.
Track record: winner called in 52 of 71 resolved picks, 25 a perfect call.
Mike Finch Betting deskAnalyst called 23 of 36 Mike Finch: predicted Kline · to win. Actual Kline · Dec. Result: Hit.
Takes Kline to win, agreeing she is the more reliable side while declining to call a method.
Track record: winner called in 23 of 36 resolved picks, 9 a perfect call.
Half The Battle Analyst called 33 of 48 Half The Battle: predicted Kline · to win. Actual Kline · Dec. Result: Hit.
Takes Kline to make a statement, praising her hunger, physicality and potential against Ricci.
Track record: winner called in 33 of 48 resolved picks, 7 a perfect call.
We Want Picks Betting desk called 55 of 87 We Want Picks: predicted Kline · to win. Actual Kline · Dec. Result: Hit.
Calls Kline the better striker, wrestler and grappler, and sees no route for the current version of Ricci to control her.
Track record: winner called in 55 of 87 resolved picks.
KennyOkoyeMMA Analyst called 22 of 28 KennyOkoyeMMA: predicted Kline · Decision. Actual Kline · Dec. Result: Perfect call.
Takes Kline by decision, citing her current momentum and Ricci's recent struggles to establish takedowns.
Track record: winner called in 22 of 28 resolved picks, 3 a perfect call.
DFS By The Numbers Betting deskAnalyst called 60 of 88 DFS By The Numbers: predicted Kline · to win. Actual Kline · Dec. Result: Hit.
Takes Kline as the stronger all-around prospect, particularly in the striking exchanges.
Track record: winner called in 60 of 88 resolved picks, 23 a perfect call.
JakeGerberMMA Analyst called 44 of 62 JakeGerberMMA: predicted Kline · to win. Actual Kline · Dec. Result: Hit.
Takes Kline's superior long-range striking and developing grappling over Ricci.
Track record: winner called in 44 of 62 resolved picks, 10 a perfect call.
James Lynch Analyst called 17 of 24 James Lynch: predicted Kline · to win. Actual Kline · Dec. Result: Hit.
Takes Kline to win a decision, citing the age, height and reach advantages.
Track record: winner called in 17 of 24 resolved picks, 3 a perfect call.
Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
- 12-4-0
- Record
- 9-1-0
- 3-2 last 5
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- 4-1 last 5
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- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
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- Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / minSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Brazil
- Nationality
- United States
- Paragon BJJ / Knuckleheadz Boxing
- Team
- MK Muay Thai / Silver Fox BJJ
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Ricci
Ricci is the more battle-tested name and the better grappler in a pinch — judo entries, top control and enough boxing now to keep rounds close against ranked opposition like Ribas, Hill and Pennington. Her floor is high: even her losses to Jandiroba and Yan came on points against elite strawweights, not by stoppage.
Case for Kline
Kline is six years younger, riding a 4-1 run, and beat the same Angela Hill that Ricci did — only more fluidly. Her striking-to-grappling transitions are quicker, and if she wins the range exchanges she forces Ricci to chase the clinch instead of dictating it.
What We Were Watching For
- Shared-opponent read: both beat Angela Hill — whose performance looked more like a level-up?
- Ricci's judo against Kline's scrambles: can Kline stay off the mat, or does Ricci drag her into grappling rounds?
- Kline's ceiling test: Ricci is the most credentialed opponent of her career — does the jump in level show?
- Rounds, not finishes: neither finishes often, so control time and volume likely decide it on the cards.
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