Tabatha Ricci hopes to insert her name in the conversation for a shot at the UFC strawweight title with a win over the last woman to challenge for gold. Virna Jandiroba went the distance in five rounds against Mackenzie Dern in October, when they battled for the vacant 115-pound belt in Abu Dhabi, and now faces Ricci in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 115 this weekend at the Meta APEX.
Ricci dismantled Amanda Ribas for a violent second-round knockout in her most recent octagon appearance in July 2025 to rebound from a decision loss to Yan Xiaonan eight months prior, and feels her clash with Jandiroba is coming at “the perfect moment” to prove her worth as a rightful contender.
“I think it’s a great fight and a big name,” Ricci told MMA Fighting. “Virna just fought for the belt, and I think fighting her will prove a lot for me, for everyone, for all the fans watching, that I truly belong at the top and that I can be next in line for a title shot. Especially with Virna coming off a loss, I think she’ll be very well-trained, very focused, and I think it’s going to be a really good fight.”
The UFC has yet to determine the next woman in line for Dern, and Weili Zhang is the likely choice if she decides to go back to the strawweight division after coming up short in her attempt to take the UFC flyweight title away from Valentina Shevchenko in 2025. On the running are Gillian Robertson, who defeated Amanda Lemos this past March and the winner of Loopy Godinez vs. Tatiana Suarez on April 11.
“I don’t know if Weili will stay [at flyweight] or what she’s deciding,” Ricci said. “Everyone is waiting on her decision, but I believe that once Virna fights and once Loopy and Tatiana fight, we’ll have a clearer idea of who will be next. … I think it will depend a lot on my performance and how the fight goes, because there are a lot of great fighters in the rankings. There will be plenty of new contenders ready to fight for the belt. Since I’m fighting Virna, who just challenged for the title, I think it puts me in a favorable position, but it will really depend on how our fight goes.”
“I would love to fight Weili as well, to face the best in the world,” she continued. “She has dominated our division, so it would be an honor to compete for the belt against her too. If she moves down, in theory she would have to fight Mackenzie, so that would be a very interesting fight. I think Weili is a slightly more complete athlete, but it all depends on where each fighter is in their life and career at the moment, so it’s quite complex.”
Ricci has to get through Jandiroba first, and “Baby Shark” plays coy on whether or not she will put her grappling to test against a fellow jiu-jitsu specialist.
“I come from jiu-jitsu as well, I have a long history in jiu-jitsu, just like Virna, so I’ll be ready if she wants to take it there,” Ricci said. “I’ll be prepared. It won’t be anything new for me in that area. Usually when they match two grapplers the fight ends up staying on the feet a bit more, but I don’t know how it’s going to play out. Maybe I’ve evolved, maybe Virna has too. Maybe she watched my last fight against Mackenzie and it could turn into a ground battle. I’ll be ready for the jiu-jitsu. I also think she’s improved her striking, and I believe this matchup will be a very interesting contest.”
“I can’t give all the details of my strategy here [laughs] but I do think I have a bit of an advantage in the striking,” she added. “But it’s MMA, so you have to be ready for everything. Everyone wants to finish the fight quickly, but you can’t force anything in the moment. I hope I can finish the fight as soon as possible, but it all depends on how it plays out. It’s going to be a very smart game.”
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