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UFC Jacksonville: Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria keeps it moving on the prelims with a fight in the strawweight division between Tabatha Ricci and Gillian Robertson. Ricci is coming off a dominant performance in her last time out meanwhile, Robertson scored a submission win in her promotional strawweight debut. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Ricci-Robertson prediction and pick.
Tabatha Ricci (8-1) coming off three consecutive victories and her best performance yet against Jessica Penne. She dominated her in every aspect of the fight and eventually got the armbar finish in the second round. Ricci takes on Gillian Robertson who's a fellow grappler which should bring a ton of excitement for the fight fans.
Gillian Robertson (12-7) made a successful strawweight debut when she submitted Piera Rodriguez who is one of the main training partners at Black House MMA of Tabatha Ricci. She dominated her on the mat en route to a second-round armbar finish. Robertson will look to make it two in a row in her new weight class when she takes on Tabatha Ricci this Saturday at UFC Jacksonville.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Jacksonville Odds: Tabatha Ricci-Gillian Robertson Odds
Tabatha Ricci: -134
Gillian Robertson: +110
Over 2.5 Rounds: -215
Under 2.5 Round:+166
How to Watch Tabatha Ricci vs. Gillian Robertson
TV: ABC
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 11:30 a.m. ET/ 8:30 a.m. PT (Prelims)
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Why Tabatha Ricci Will Win
Tabatha Ricci is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt as well as a Judoka black belt with an impressive record of 8-1-0. She is known for her grappling skills and has won 3 of her 8 fights by submission. Ricci has a significant height disadvantage against Robertson, which she can use to make it hard on Robertson to shoot for double-leg takedowns having a lower center of gravity.
Ricci's grappling skills are her biggest strength, and she actually has a distinct striking advantage in this matchup and will likely look to keep this fight on her feet. If this fight does hit the ground, she will use her superior grappling skills to control Robertson and look for submission as she has done in each of her last three fights. Ricci is also a patient fighter and will not rush into anything, waiting for the right opportunity to present itself.
Why Gillian Robertson Will Win
Gillian Robertson is a well-rounded fighter with a record of 12-7-0. She is known for her grappling skills and has won nine of her fights by submission. Robertson is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt just like Tabatha Ricci and will be looking to get this fight to the mat in any which way possible.
Robertson's striking skills are by far her biggest weakness, and she will likely look to get this fight to the mat in top control where she would land heavy ground-and-pound and hunt for submissions. She has a good chin and can take a punch, which will allow her to exchange strikes with Ricci until she is able to get ahold of her to attempt her takedowns. If Robertson is able to get on top of Ricco that could be all she wrote.
Final Tabatha Ricci-Gillian Robertson Prediction & Pick
This fight is between two great grapplers which in a lot of cases cancels itself out and then gives us a kickboxing affair. If that is what happens here then I'd have to favor Ricci who is a far better striker in this matchup. Her Muay Thai would certainly give the basic striking of Robertson a ton of problems. Ultimately, Robertson will attempt some takedowns but fails to get the fight to the mat and Ricci just outstrikes her with the occasional takedown to take the unanimous decision victory.
Final Tabatha Ricci-Gillian Robertson Prediction & Pick: Tabatha Ricci (-134), Over 2.5 Rounds (-215)
