Preview: UFC Fight Night 196 Prelims

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Women’s Strawweights

NR | Tabatha Ricci (5-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. NR | Maria de Oliveira Neta (12-4)

ODDS: Ricci (-230), Neta (+190)

This is a solid striker-versus-grappler matchup between Brazilian strawweights. Neta is the striker half of the equation, as she makes her UFC debut. She has some interesting weapons as a tall and straight-ahead striker, but her resume is a bit questionable despite her talent. Her biggest victory by far was a 2017 Rizin Fighting Federation bout against Alyssa Garcia, and any other step up from a low level of competition has gone poorly. It was one thing when she was outwrestled by Kanna Asakura in her other fight with Rizin, but her loss on the Brazilian edition of Dana White’s Contender Series was extremely worrying. Faced with another dangerous striker, Neta took damage for about three minutes before calling off the fight herself. However, with two subsequent victories—again, over poor competition—Neta gets the UFC call against a fellow countrywoman. Ricci’s the physical and stylistic opposite of Neta, a squat tank of a fighter who quickly looks to implement her wrestling and grappling. After a brief flirtation with mixed martial arts as a teenager, Ricci eventually came back to the sport in 2020 and rattled off three straight wins in a few months, even if they also were not against a particularly strong slate. That got Ricci a late-notice spot against Manon Fiorot in June that was a rough matchup on paper and in practice, as she was moving up a weight class to face one of the UFC’s most physical flyweights. Ricci should rebound, though this is an interesting stylistic matchup. She still is not a particularly strong striker, so there is a chance that things could go south if she cannot get her larger opponent to the mat. With that said, Ricci seems much more determined to implement her game, and Neta’s previous fights against wrestlers suggest that she should be able to find success early and often. The pick is Ricci via second-round submission.

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