Oklahoma City — Strawweight Fatima Kline underwent a change in opponents ahead of this Saturday’s UFC Oklahoma City, but the switch-up may prove to work out in her favor.
Kline (9-1) was initially booked against Amanda Ribas, but with Ribas out, it’s Tabatha “Baby Shark” Ricci in— a fighter ranked higher than Kline’s original opponent. And one she’s had her eye on for some time.
“Yeah. I mean I did have my eyes set on Tabatha before I got the Ribas fight. Tabatha’s been on my radar for the past year, she’s just somebody who I’ve been wanting to fight, somebody I’ve been keeping an eye out for,” Kline told Cageside Press and other media outlets on Wednesday.
Ricci is ranked #8 (#7 using META AI) at 115lbs, and Kline added that “the bigger the fights get, the better I get so I’m really excited for Saturday night.”
Given Ricci’s spot in the division, Kline foresees herself being able to break into the top half of the division and chase the title shortly. “I think that puts me right in line to start attacking the top 5 spot. I think you could see a finish from me on Saturday, and I can see myself chasing a title in 2027,” she predicted.
As for the opponent switch and how it impacted her fight camp, “I honestly didn’t make a lot of changes. Obviously the strategy changes a little bit, they’re different in their strengths are different, and their weaknesses are different.”
“Every time I fight, I plan to be the best version of myself, so it doesn’t matter who’s in front of me.”
Watch the full UFC Oklahoma City media day appearance by Fatima Kline above.
