“I would love to have come back before this, but when you get up in the rankings, it gets harder to fight often,” she said. “We had to wait for the champ to decide what she’s gonna do, had to wait for other girls to fight, and I just don’t think UFC had anyone planned for me in that time.
“I think it worked out perfect because now I have a huge opportunity and I was busy during these six months. Callum had big fights, we had lot of people come to the house — UFC was there recording our lifestyle, interviews —so I was taking the time to support him, keep training, improving my game a lot. I feel like I’ve always been improving every fight, learning new skills, and trying to get my game better. The time is rough waiting to fight, but it was worth it.”
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While the wait on the sidelines can make any fighter restless, the hiatus has proven fruitful as Ricci is now set to step in with Jandiroba, a tenured member of the Top 5 who is returning to action for the first time since challenging for the title last October at UFC 321.
Although she landed on the wrong side of the scorecards in her clash with Mackenzie Dern for the vacant strawweight title, the 37-year-old veteran gave a good account of herself, and the five-straight wins she’d amassed previously to that contest make it clear that she’s not one to be trifled with inside the cage.
“I think it’s a huge opportunity,” Ricci said. “I think it’s the right time — she just fought for the belt, so that puts me right in the spot to where maybe I’ll be next, maybe we’ll see what’s going on. It’s a huge opportunity for me, and it’s the right time, so I’m ready for this.”