In her last fight against Amanda Ribas at UFC on ABC 9 in 2025, Tabatha Ricci delivered a thunderous TKO finish in the second round. With that, ‘Baby Shark’ now holds the number 7 spot in the women’s strawweight division. Now, she prepares to take on Virna Jandiroba at UFC Vegas 115. Another win here could push her closer to title contention.

But as her performances gain attention, so does the curiosity around her roots. Where does ‘Baby Shark’ come from? And how much of her identity inside the Octagon is shaped by where she started? Let’s break it down.

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.

More about Tabatha Ricci’s early life and background

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.

“I’ve done some Judo teaching when I was younger, and now I’m a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor at Paragon Academy in Ventura,“ Ricci told UFC.

As for her religion, there are no publicly available sources of information, as the UFC fighter has kept that part of her life out of the spotlight. Now, as April 4 approaches, Tabatha Ricci steps into another key fight against Virna Jandiroba. The division is tight, and every result matters.