SATURDAY, JUNE 24 UFC on ABC 5: EMMETT vs. TOPURIA "BABY SHARK" TABATHA RICCI vs. "THE SAVAGE" GILLIAN ROBERTSON
WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT SHOWDOWN
LIVE on ABC
VYSTAR VETERANS MEMORIAL ARENA
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
JACKSONVILLE, Florida — UFC on ABC 5: Emmett vs. Topuria, which will be headlined by two top-ranked featherweight contenders, will also feature an eagerly awaited strawweight showdown when the promotion returns to the Sunshine State on the first Saturday of Summer 2023.
UFC on ABC 5: Emmett vs. Topuria takes place Saturday, June 24th at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The main event will feature a featherweight showdown between former UFC interim featherweight title challenger Josh Emmett and top undefeated prospect Ilia Topuria. The fight card will also feature the return of BJJ and Judo black belt Tabatha "Baby Shark" Ricci as she faces the UFC record holder for most submission wins by a woman, Gillian "The Savage" Robertson.
Ricci (8-1) returns to the UFC Octagon to continue her unbeaten run as a strawweight and rapid ascent in the sport. "Baby Shark" is a native of Birigui, São Paulo, Brazil and holds the rank of black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. She was signed to the UFC after winning 3 fights in just 9 months for the LFA, which is the UFC's premier developmental organization. The proud Biriguiense now looks to go 4-0 as a UFC strawweight and 9-0 overall in the division. Her first two UFC wins were earned with Unanimous Decision victories over fellow Brazilian prospects Maria Oliveira and Polyana Viana. However, it was her third UFC win that was the most impressive and saw her land in the official UFC strawweight rankings. Ricci dominated former UFC women's strawweight title challenger Jessica Penne and became the first woman to submit her in the UFC. The submission came via armbar in Round 2 of their bout at UFC 285.
Robertson (12-7) is the UFC record holder for most submission wins by a woman. "The Savage" is a native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and holds the rank black belt in Jiu-Jitsu. She was signed to the UFC after competing on the twenty-sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter, which crowned the inaugural women's flyweight champion at the show's finale in 2017. After being eliminated in the Round of 16, Robertson won her UFC debut against RFA alum Emily Whitmire. The win came via armbar in Round 1 at the TUF 26 Finale and stands as her first submission win out of her UFC record setting 7 submission wins by a woman. The other six submission wins came against Molly McCann, Veronica Hardy, Cortney Casey, Priscila Cachoeira, Mariya Agapova, and Piera Rodriguez. The most recent win came against Ricci's teammate Rodrirguez. Ricci was in the corner of Rodriguez and quickly accepted this fight with Robertson.
UFC on ABC 5 is scheduled to begin with the early preliminary card at 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT on ESPN and ESPN+. The main card will begin at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT on ABC. Tickets for UFC on ABC 5 are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
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