UFC Oklahoma City: Tabatha Ricci vs. Fatima Kline Tale of the Tape, Predictions, & Betting Odds

Paycom Center in Oklahoma City will be hosting UFC Fight Night 281 this Saturday, July 18, the third time the promotion has held an event in OKC and the first since 2017. And the main card is actually not bad for a non-PPV UFC event. The promotion is notorious for loading up PPVs and leaving dust for these smaller Fight Nights.

But in the opening matchup of the main card, we get a top 15 matchup. In the women’s strawweight division, No. 7 contender Tabatha Ricci will look to stay relevant at 115 pounds against exciting promotional newcomer Fatima Kline, who is currently No. 14 at strawweight.

Can Baby Shark get back on track after a loss in April, or will the 26-year-old Archangel continue her recent run of strong performances with a fourth straight win on Saturday night? Read on for our full betting guide including tale of the tape, analysis, UFC betting odds, and predictions for the main card opener!

UFC Oklahoma City: Tabatha Ricci vs. Fatima Kline Main Card Bout - Tale of the Tape, Picks, & Odds - July 18 - 8 P.M. EDT

All odds provided by Powerplay.

Tale of the Tape:

Category	Tabatha Ricci	Fatima Kline
Height	5’1” (1.55 m)	5’6” (1.68 m)
Weight	115 lbs (52 kg)	115 lbs (52 kg)
Reach	61” (155 cm)	67” (170 cm)
Age	31	26
Nickname	Baby Shark	The Archangel
Fighting Stance	Orthodox	Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed/Minute	4.00	5.01
Strikes Absorbed/Minute	4.83	2.71
Takedown Average	2.51	2.02
Takedown Defense	65 %	50 %
Current Ranking	No. 7	No. 14
Fighting Out Of	Ventura, California, U.S.	Hyde Park, New York, U.S.

Fight Analysis & Prediction

No. 7 Tabatha Ricci vs. No. 14 Fatima Kline Bout Betting Odds

Fighter	Moneyline	Spread	Rounds	Win by Decision	Win by KO/TKO/DQ	Win by Submission	Go the Distance
Tabatha Ricci	+350	+3.5 (+100)	O2.5 (-380)	+500	+2,200	+1,650	Yes (-320)
Fatima Kline	-450	-3.5 (-130)	U2.5 (+275)	-170	+475	+750	No (+235)

Tabatha Ricci (12-4) has been foundering in the strawweight division for a bit now. Since starting her career 9-1, she has gone 3-3, bumping up against the top fighters at 115 pounds and never quite getting any momentum. She’s now lost two of her last three, though those came against two women in the top five right now.

On the other side of the octagon will be Fatima Kline, who is actually 9-1 right now. She’s just 26 and two years into her UFC stint, but she’s found her footing with three straight wins after her UFC debut loss to Jasmine Jasudavicius, though that was up 10 pounds at flyweight. Her last win against Angela Hill moved her up an echelon, and she’ll have to prove she deserves to be here against Ricci.

In Ricci’s last fight, she also fought a solid grappler who had a massive size advantage, and it did not go well for the Brazilian. Her countrywoman Virna Jandiroba dominated her in a unanimous decision.

While The Archangel isn’t nearly as aggressive or strong as Jandiroba, she is a lot bigger. Kline has five years, five inches of height, and six inches of reach on Ricci, and we expect her to be able to win in a similar fashion to Jandiroba, as this seems like a tailormade matchup for the rising star from Holbrook, New York. This has been the Summer of NYC after all.

Ricci has only ever been finished once, however, and that was in her lone fight as a flyweight and against a rare knockout artist in the women’s divisions in Manon Fiorot. Take the method of victory on Kline here.

Best Bet: Fatima Kline to Win via Decision (-170)