Tabatha Ricci has been making quite some waves in the world of mixed martial arts with her performance in the Octagon. Holding the 11th position in the UFC women’s strawweight rankings, ‘Baby Shark’ is a prospect who has the ability to claim the championship gold. After all, she has only 2 defeats in her professional MMA record of 12 fights. 

Ricci’s fighting prowess has often led the fighting community to question her origins. Today, let’s take a look at the strawweight contender’s roots. So, without wasting any more time, let’s dive right into it.

What is Tabatha Ricci’s ethnicity and nationality?

Ricci was born and raised in Birigui-SP, Brazil. But later on, the strawweight fighter moved to California. Back in Birigui, sports like Judo and BJJ put one’s name under the spotlight. And following her father, Carlos ‘Trovao’ Salto’s footsteps, she found her way into the fighting community. It is indeed her Brazilian heritage and family support that pushed her towards the world of mixed martial arts. Even though Ricci fights out of California, it’s her homeland’s fighting techniques that have ensured her victory in multiple fights. 

‘Baby Shark’ began her UFC career with a defeat at the hands of Manon Fiorot via a standing TKO. However, she went on to win the next four of her fights with great finesse. But little did Ricci know that she would face another defeat via split decision while competing against Loopy Godinez. Nevertheless, the Brazilian fighter turned her story upside down as she rose victorious over Tecia Pennington through a split decision. 

Needless to say, Ricci’s fighting prowess has glued the fight fans’ eyes to her. Speaking of her personal life, she once revealed that she was dating the professional boxer, Callum Walsh. The Irish boxer and Ricci often train together and she even expects Walsh to step into the MMA realm pretty soon.

Keeping aside Ricci’s love life, let’s get to know a bit more about her early life. To be precise, let’s find out how she kickstarted her fighting career.

Tabatha Ricci’s early life

The Brazilian strawweight began her journey in the world of martial arts when she was just 6 years old. It was indeed her father who introduced her to martial arts. After all, he was a black belt in judo. She traveled to the land of Muay Thai at the age of 15, and just a couple of years later, began training in BJJ. Armed with BJJ, Judo, and Muay Thai, Ricci entered the Octagon in 2021. 

Her first-ever mixed martial arts fight happened when she was just 18 years old. Before she began her professional MMA career, she used to teach Judo. Talking to the UFC, Ricci revealed, “I’ve done some Judo teaching when I was younger and now I’m a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor at Paragon Academy in Ventura.“

Now, Ricci is all set to land against Angela Hill at the co-main event for UFC Vegas 96. Currently, on a 1-fight win streak, the Brazilian mixed martial artist will try her best to expand her streak. 

Do you think ‘Baby Shark’ will be able to claim a victory over Hill in their upcoming bout? Let us know what you think in the comments below.