“Humility is stronger than pride” - Tabatha Ricci’s teammate slams former foe Gillian Robertson after UFC Jacksonville loss

Tabatha Ricci’s teammate Piera Rodriguez took a stinging jab at Jillian Robertson via an Instagram post. In the complex fabric of the mixed martial arts community, rivalries often go beyond the individuals fighting inside the octagon and extend to teammates, former opponents, and sometimes even to the coaching staff.

On the preliminary card of the UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Topuria, No. 15 ranked UFC Strawweight contender Tabatha Ricci fought veteran of the sport Gillian Robertson. Ricci came out on top after three rounds of back-and-forth action, winning the fight via unanimous decision to improve her record to 9-1.

Ricci’s teammate and Robertson’s former foe Piera ‘La Fiera’ Rodriguez took to her Instagram account following the contest. She congratulated her teammate for the win while criticizing Robertson, albeit indirectly. You can see the post below, courtesy of Rodriguez’s personal Instagram account:

Good always triumphs over Evil. No matter how late you arrive.. 🤷🏻 ♀️Love is stronger than hate. Humility is stronger than Pride. And Kindness is greater than Selfishness.

She continued:

THANK YOU @tabatha.ricci for this joy you gave me today, thank you for making me believe again in what we do, thank you for your friendship over these years and for being by my side in victories and defeats! You are an incredibly special and good human being, I feel so lucky to have you in my life! Let's go up sister!! ❤️💪🏻It's your time!! 😍

Rodriguez’s dislike of Robertson probably stems from the fact that Robertson registered her most recent win over Rodriguez on the undercard of UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Allen on April 15. The Canadian fighter defeated Rodriguez via an armbar in the second round. The win warranted her Performance of the Night bonus. However, the caption to Rodriguez’s post suggests that she has not taken kindly to the loss.

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What’s next for Tabatha Ricci?

Tabatha Ricci improved her record to 9-1 with a win over Gillian Robertson (12-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC) at UFC Jacksonville. The win extended her winning streak to four. She holds wins over respectable competitors like Polyana Viana, Robertson, and veteran fighter Jessica Penne.

When asked about her choice of opponent during the post-fight scrum, Tabatha Ricci stated:

“It’s not my type to call anybody out. But I would love to be challenged by someone (above) me in the rankings. So anybody above me, I would love to have that challenge.”

Tabatha Ricci currently occupies 15th place in the official UFC Strawweight rankings. However, she is likely to climb a couple of spots up when the rankings get revised following the conclusion of the UFC Jacksonville event. Amanda Ribas, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, and Angela Hill, the fighters that occupy 11th, 12th, and 14th place in the rankings are coming off losses in their most recent outings. However, it remains to be seen how things unfold next for Tabatha Ricci.