UFC Fight Night: Virna Jandiroba vs Tabatha Ricci Prediction And Odds

Fight PredictionWomen’s Strawweight · Co-Main · #3 vs #7 · Five Rounds

Two of the most exciting grapplers in women’s strawweight history collide in the co-main event. Virna “Carcará” Jandiroba — 22-4, former Invicta champion, world-class BJJ black belt who challenged for the UFC title just five months ago — faces Tabatha “Baby Shark” Ricci, who has won the biggest fight of her career with a second-round TKO of Amanda Ribas in Abu Dhabi. Both are Brazilian. Both are submission artists. This fight will not be dull.

Virna “Carcará” Jandiroba 🇧🇷

-185

Favourite · #3 Strawweight · 22-4 · Title challenger

Tabatha “Baby Shark” Ricci 🇧🇷

+160

Underdog · #7 Strawweight · 12-3 · On rising form

Fighter Breakdown

Virna Jandiroba 🇧🇷

22-4 overall — BJJ world champion at black belt, Pan-American and South American champion; tied for the most submission attempts in UFC strawweight division history with 16
Challenged Mackenzie Dern for the vacant UFC strawweight title at UFC 321 (October 2025) — lost by unanimous decision in five rounds but confirmed her place as the #3 ranked fighter
Submitted Amanda Lemos by armbar in her first UFC main event — a Performance of the Night finish that showed her submission game at its absolute best
37 years old but still operating at the peak of her competitive grappling career — her BJJ development means age affects her less than strikers
Concern: Lost the title fight to Dern five months ago — coming off a defeat and facing a younger, increasingly dangerous Ricci who just stopped Ribas emphatically.

Tabatha Ricci 🇧🇷

12-3 overall — BJJ black belt, judo black belt, and Muay Thai practitioner; one of the most technically complete fighters in the women’s strawweight division
Second-round TKO of Amanda Ribas at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. de Ridder in Abu Dhabi (July 2025) — biggest win of her career with ground-and-pound finishing ability
Decision win over Angela Hill in 2024 and Tecia Pennington — showing consistent output and composure over three rounds before the Ribas statement finish
Based in California — trained across Japan, Brazil, and the US before settling into her current camp that has produced the most complete version of her game
Concern: Jandiroba’s 16 UFC submission attempts and world-champion BJJ credentials represent the deepest grappling test Ricci has faced in her UFC career to date.

Head-to-Head Stats

Category	Virna Jandiroba	Tabatha Ricci
Record	22 – 4	12 – 3
Age	37	~30
UFC Sub Attempts	16 (tied most in division history)	Active grappler
Last fight	L — UFC title fight vs Dern (Oct 2025)	W — TKO2 of Amanda Ribas (July 2025)
BJJ credentials	World champion, black belt 2nd degree	Black belt, judo + BJJ background
UFC Ranking	#3 Women’s Strawweight	#7 Women’s Strawweight

The Grappling Battle of the Card

This is the highest-quality grappling matchup on the entire UFC Fight Night 272 card — possibly more technically rich than the main event. Jandiroba’s 16 submission attempts across her UFC career represent the most aggressive submission hunting in the division’s history. Her armbar finish of Amanda Lemos demonstrated that her BJJ is not just theoretical — it produces real finishing sequences against genuine UFC opponents.

Ricci brings a different flavour to the grappling exchange. Her judo background creates takedown entries that Jandiroba’s BJJ-centric opponents have not typically had to deal with. The Ribas finish showed Ricci’s willingness to work ground-and-pound rather than purely submission hunt — a more complete ground game than Jandiroba might be expecting from the #7-ranked fighter.

Round-by-Round Edge

Category	Edge	Notes
Submission Depth	JANDIROBA	16 UFC submission attempts, world champion BJJ — the deepest sub game in the division
Recent Form	RICCI	TKO win over Ribas vs. Jandiroba’s title loss — clear current momentum edge
Judo / Takedown Entries	RICCI	Judo black belt gives different entry angles that pure BJJ players rarely prepare for
Experience / Fight IQ	JANDIROBA	26 professional fights, title challenger — depth of competitive experience unmatched
Ground and Pound	RICCI	Ribas stoppage was GnP-based — Jandiroba prefers clean submissions over strikes
Youth and Athleticism	RICCI	Approximately 7 years younger — physical peak advantage in a grinding five-round fight

⚡ MMAPredict Official Pick

Virna Jandiroba

Submission · Rounds 2–4

Jandiroba finds a submission finish in what will be the most technically impressive fight of the night. Her 16 UFC submission attempts and world-championship BJJ credentials represent a grappling quality ceiling that Ricci has not yet been tested against. Ricci’s Ribas win and judo entries will create genuine problems in the early rounds — but Jandiroba’s submission hunting patience and depth of ground game should eventually produce the finish. The five-round format gives her additional time to work through Ricci’s defenses. A close, competitive fight where the quality of Jandiroba’s BJJ proves to be the difference in the later rounds.

Confidence: 6.5 / 10

UFC Fight Night 272 · April 4, 2026 · Meta APEX, Las Vegas · Co-Main on Paramount+. Odds for reference only — please gamble responsibly.