"I don't know what they're thinking" - Tabatha Ricci addresses whether fighters will have second thoughts about calling her out (Exclusive)

Tabatha Ricci recently addressed whether fighters will have second thoughts about calling her out after the unanimous decision win over Gillian Robertson at UFC on ABC 5.

During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, she opened up about her preparation for her bout with Robertson, who had called her out. She mentioned that being called out by another fighter for the first time made her a lot more motivated in her training camp because her opponent was so confident that she would defeat her:

"I feel like it just motivates me to train more, because if like, this person's calling me out, she really knows, and she thinks that she can beat me. So I'm like, okay, so I want to prove the opposite, and I accept the challenge... I took the pressure as a motivation, and I'm like, I'm more happy and excited with my training, so yeah, that was a fun, fun camp." [1:35 - 2:08]

It was an impressive performance by 'Baby Shark' she extended her winning streak to 4 consecutive wins. She mentioned that it's unclear whether other fighters in the division will call her out after her performance and noted that she is constantly improving, saying:

"I don't know what they're thinking. I really like my performance, I feel like I'm improving each fight slow, getting more cage time, getting more comfortable there, so I don't know what they're thinking but I really wanna fight again this year, so I'm just waiting." [2:58 - 3:14]

It will be interesting to see who the UFC matches Ricci up with next, as she has expressed interest in competing again this year.

Check out the full interview:

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Tabatha Ricci describes the difference in fighting at the Apex and in an arena

Tabatha Ricci explained whether fighters really feel a difference when fighting at the UFC Apex compared to fighting in an arena.

During the interview above, Ricci described what it's like to compete in each venue. She stated that there is a noticeable difference and felt that when she fought Gillian Robertson at UFC on ABC 5. She mentioned that both atmospheres are different, but it didn't affect her performance, saying:

"I was fighting there [Apex] a lot [during the pandemic], and I feel for me, I was just going to train at the gym. I was not feeling much hype, which is pretty good...because you feel very comfortable, you don't feel pressure at all, you can hear your coach pretty well... In the arena, I think the first time, you feel a little bit more the adrenaline." [5:54 - 6:23]