Angela Hill looked to take a bite out of a baby shark when the #9-ranked strawweight took on #11 Tabatha Ricci at in the UFC Vegas 96 co-main event on Saturday.
“Baby Shark” Ricci entered off a win over Tecia Pennington, and went straight into a clinch with Hill in her hunt for a second straight victory.
Hill proved able to fight her way out of that grappling exchange, fending off a potential takedown attempt. Ricci, however, punched her way right back in, keeping the pressure up and taking it to Hill. Hill fired knees in the clinch, as did Ricci, but Hill again managed to break free.
Undeterred, Ricci continued her march forward. Hill swung back when she could, but was fighting off her back foot a little, and showing a lump or two around the face. Ricci was flowing and briefly put on another clinch at the 90 second mark, but again couldn’t keep the fight there or improve the position. Still, the first was nothing if not a wildly successful round for Tabatha Ricci.
Round two opened with an early takedown for Ricci, who had to avoid an upkick as “Overkill” thrashed around on her back. She quickly scrambled up, but Ricci stayed on her, pinning her to the fence. Ricci’s pace did not slow in the second, and though Hill was known for her cardio as well, the onslaught was taking its toll. Hill was seeking a hope for her right hand with about 90 seconds still on the clock, but Ricci connected with an uppercut, and had a little more behind her punches.
The final round found Hill landing a combination early, touching Hill on the chin. Ricci survived, but about a minute in, Hill connected over the top, then turned it into a takedown. Only for Ricci to push her off and scramble up. That led to a familiar scene, Ricci putting Hill on the fence. Yet again they wouldn’t stay there, and back at center, perhaps with a bit of a second wind, Hill turned up the volume, mixing in a few kicks. That led Ricci to shoot with just over a minute on the clock; Hill stuffed it. Hill doubled up on her left, going to the body then head. She uncorked a spinning back elbow that just missed. They battled it out, active to the final bell in a very worthy co-main event.
Thanks to the early lead, however, Ricci had put the fight out of reach.
Official Result: Tabatha Ricci def. Angela Hill by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
