Tabatha Ricci in no hurry for title shot, but knows she’s in contention after UFC on ABC 5
Tabatha Ricci beat Gillian Robertson with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ABC 5 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Take a look inside the fight with Ricci, who picked up her fourth straight win after a loss in her UFC debut two years ago.
Tabatha Ricci vs. Gillian Robertson
[vertical-gallery id=2652924]
Result: Tabatha Ricci def. Gillian Robertson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Updated records: Ricci (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), Robertson (12-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC)
Key stats: Ricci outstruck Robertson 101-78 and landed three takedowns.
Ricci on the fight's key moment
“Everything went exactly how we planned. I think it was an awesome challenge because nobody called me out before, so I really liked the experience. I think it’s good to have that, too. It’s more motivation. I pay attention to what they were saying after the fight, and I was kind of surprised (ti was a split decision) because I really feel that I won all the rounds.”
Ricci on women's strawweight title contention
“I see myself maybe one more year or year and a half. I’m not in a rush I just want to get more cage time, more experience, and climb up. I have, every week, small goals in my life. I just want to get better and try to master all the martial arts as much as I can, and I just add it into this result. I just want to keep fighting.”
Ricci on what she wants next
“I want people to remember me with my hard work. I think I deserve the attention. I’ve been winning all my fights, so I think I deserve that. It’s not my type to call anybody out, but I would love to be challenged by someone ahead of me in the rankings. Anybody up in the rankings, I would love to have the challenge.”
To hear more from Ricci, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 5.
