Tabatha Ricci scheduled to face Fatima Kline at UFC Oklahoma City

Tabatha Ricci is scheduled to face Fatima Kline on Saturday at UFC Oklahoma City. Ricci said she wants to leave the event without injury so she can volunteer as the backup fighter for the strawweight title bout between Gillian Robertson and Mackenzie Dern at UFC 330 on August 15 in Philadelphia. Ricci holds a decision victory over Robertson from June 2023.

Robertson has won five consecutive fights since that loss and earned the title opportunity against Dern. Ricci lost a decision to Virna Jandiroba in April 2026 and views the bout with Kline as a necessary step to regain momentum. Kline enters with a three-fight UFC winning streak that includes victories over Victoria Dudakova, Melissa Martinez and Angela Hill.

Ricci described the matchup as a contest between a striker and a grappler, adding that the fighter who imposes her game plan first will likely control the outcome. "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," Ricci said.

She stated her goal is to impress and return to position for a title shot, whether or not the backup role at UFC 330 materializes.