Preview: UFC on ESPN 62 ‘Cannonier vs. Borralho’

Women’s Strawweights

#11 WSW | Tabatha Ricci (10-2, 5-2 UFC) vs. #9 WSW | Angela Hill (17-13, 12-13 UFC)

ODDS: Ricci (-112), Hill (-108)

After settling in as the strawweight division’s top gatekeeper, it’s nice to see Hill quietly on one of the best runs of her career. Hill got off to a late start in mixed martial arts and was thrown into the deep end early on, landing in the UFC through “The Ultimate Fighter” after only one professional win, but “Overkill” proved to be a quick study. After sliding out of the UFC, she put together a breakout 2016 in Invicta Fighting Championships and was back in the Octagon after about a year. From there, Hill stood out as a tough kickboxer before breaking through with a prolific six-fight run that started in 2019, cramming six fights into an 11-month span and earning a reputation as someone able to fight against anyone, anywhere at any time. By that point, Hill had solved her cardio issues and turned into a well-rounded striker, but some hard luck stopped her from ever getting over the hump into title contention. Split decision losses to Claudia Gadelha, Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Amanda Lemos all came in big spots where Hill had a case to win, and each could have changed the course of her career. After a loss to Mackenzie Dern in May 2023, Hill had seemingly settled into the gatekeeper role for good, though her last two results are enough to keep the glimmer of title contention alive. It’s not necessarily a shock that she was able to turn back Denise Gomes and Luana Pinheiro, but it’s extremely impressive that she did so on the back of her wrestling and grappling, even earning the first submission win of her career against Pinheiro. Hill looks to take care of another rising Brazilian talent here, as Ricci steps up to try and score the biggest win of her career.

Coming to the UFC in 2021 as a raw prospect, Ricci has done well to develop a solid game for herself in short order, though it’s unclear how much further up the ladder she can climb. “Baby Shark” comes from a grappling and judo background, and while she always has those skills in her back pocket, she has made a surprising amount of hay on the feet. Despite having one of the smallest frames in the UFC’s strawweight ranks, Ricci has found a lot of success leveraging her speed into a sniping approach from range. After a late-notice UFC debut at flyweight, there’s a case that Ricci should be undefeated as a strawweight inside the Octagon, as her only loss was a narrow decision against Lupita Godinez where she was able to land a lot of sharp offense. Ricci rebounded with a win over Tecia Pennington, leaning back on her clinch game against another small but speedy opponent, but it doesn’t appear that will be a safety valve in this test. Hill has always been underrated as a terror in the clinch, and that point was driven home in her last two fights. There’s a chance that Ricci can outquick Hill on the feet effectively for three rounds, but it’s up to her to make that choice; and even in a striking match, things are clicking enough for Hill that the American gets the nod. The pick is Hill via decision.

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Cannonier vs. Borralho
Ricci vs. Hill
Valentin vs. Loder
Ofli vs. Alves
Morales vs. Magny
Shahbazyan vs. Meerschaert
The Prelims