Fatima Kline has seen the comments saying she “can’t” – that’s why she wants to prove she can.
Coming out of UFC Fight Night 281 riding high, Kline (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) solidified herself as a legitimate strawweight contender as she struck, grappled, and suplexed her way to victory over ranked staple Tabatha Ricci (12-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision.
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“It definitely feels different,” Kline told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “There was a different approach to the fight, a different celebration when we won, a different energy that came out of me even during the fight itself. I just feel like it was such a unique experience. I’m relieved and upset it’s over so fast. You look forward to things for so many months, and then it goes by in a blink of an eye. I’m just soaking it all in right now. I’m really happy with everything that went down.”
Kline has long been a highly-touted prospect since her dominant title run for CFFC on the regional scene. Long penciled in as a future top strawweight, those keeping track can now write it more confidently in permanent marker.
Not only did Kline win at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, she put an exclamation point on her peformance with a back-to-back suplex sequence in the third round. She stuck out her tongue and showed a little swagger, which garnered the comparison to Caitlin Clark from UFC chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein, and to Demetrious Johnson from UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell.
“I did tell Tabatha, I whispered in her ear, to get up a third time,” Kline laughed. “At that point, she crawled toward the cage, so I knew she didn’t want another one. Trust me, every time she got up, I was ready to take her right back down again. I was trying to give DC a lucky number three, you know? But unfortunately… maybe next.”
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“… When I made eye contact with Hunter Campbell and everybody in the front row, I wanted to make it known that, ‘Listen, proving myself, I’ll prove myself to anybody, against anybody, wherever it is. It doesn’t matter.’ I feel like when Hunter looked at me and I kind of gave him that nod, I think me and him both know I’m going to be the next champion. I think talking to him afterward even solidified that more for me. I know I made a lasting impression on them. That’s what I always try to do.”
With the victory, Kline earned herself the No. 6 ranking from both the UFC media rankings and the UFC Meta AI rankings. She’s within an arm’s reach of a title shot, probably needing one more to get there. Even though everyone above her is a fresh matchup, Kline likes one potential pairing in particular. It’s the one that will prove the doubters wrong.
“I think the perfect person to put me right in line to beat and get a title shot after would be Zhang Weili or Tatiana (Suarez),” Kline said. “Virna (Jandiroba) already lost for the belt. Tatiana also did already lose for the belt, too. I think Weili would be the perfect person. I think it would be a great fight. I think people think I could beat everybody except for Weili. I kind of see that in the comments like, ‘Oh, you could beat everybody except Weili.’ I would love to prove people wrong with that one, and I’d love to prove it to myself. If she decides to come back to 115, I’d love to welcome her back.'”
Weili (26-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) hasn’t competed since he lost a women’s flyweight title challenge vs. Valentina Shevchenko in November. Though many assume a strawweight return is next for Weili, she’s remained relatively quiet on her immediate plans.
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Kline said she’s eying December for her return. She needs to heal up her shoulder, in addition to some smaller bumps and bruises. Whenever she gets back on the horse, Kline expects to continue her trajectory of shaking up the UFC strawweight division’s status quo.
“The trajectory of my career has been quite incredible,” Kline said. “I can see God’s hand on it through and through. I can see him paving a way for me and paving my journey and my career. I’ve trusted his process that he knows exactly who is going to be next fight, when it is, when it’s going to be. I love being in talks with some people who I used to look up to or I’ve watched for years. It’s flattering. It’s thrilling. It’s motivating. There are so many feelings that could come with it. The most I’m feeling is just grateful.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Fatima Kline wants Zhang Weili next after UFC Oklahoma City win
