Tabatha Ricci and Fatima Kline meet on the UFC Fight Night 281 main card Saturday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Last event’s results: 3-2
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UFC main cards, 2026: 72-39-1
Tabatha Ricci vs. Fatima Kline UFC Fight Night 281 preview
Ricci (12-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) aims to get back into the win column after a unanimous decision loss against Virna Jandiroba in April. In the fight prior, she stopped Amanda Ribas with strikes in the second round. “Baby Shark” is 3-2 over her last five fights and has never lost back-to-back.
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Kline (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) looks to make it four straight as she tears through the strawweight division. After losing her debut against Jasmine Jasudavicius, Kline ripped off three consecutive wins against Victoria Dudakova, Melissa Martinez and Angela Hill.
Tabatha Ricci vs. Fatima Kline UFC Fight Night 281 expert pick, prediction
Filling out the main card is a Top 15 strawweight showdown between Tabatha Ricci and Fatima Kline.
Kline, who was initially scheduled to face Amanda Ribas, will now meet Ricci on roughly four weeks’ notice.
I can appreciate Ricci being in shape and willing to gamble on herself in this spot, but I suspect that Kline presents a tough challenge to the Brazilian’s style and stature.
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From straight punches to hard kicks and knees, I see Kline having a field day with the wrestle-boxing archetype that Ricci presents.
Ricci is obviously a judo and jiu-jitsu black belt who can more than hold her own on the floor, but I’m not sure she can reliably get to positions, much less get a ton done, against a fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who is big and scrambles well for the division.
I’ve been high on Kline since before she got to the UFC (as I had her in my prospects to watch column back in 2024), and I expect her to make a statement here.
The pick is Kline by knockout in Round 3.
Tabatha Ricci vs. Fatima Kline UFC Fight Night 281 odds
The oddsmakers and the public heavily favor the American fighter, listing Kline -500 and Ricci +360 via FanDuel.
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Tabatha Ricci vs. Fatima Kline UFC Fight Night 281 start time, how to watch
Ricci and Kline are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:40 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Tabatha Ricci vs. Fatima Kline prediction, pick for UFC Fight Night 281
