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Fatima Kline is aiming high after her latest win in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Kline earned a dominant unanimous decision win over Tabatha Ricci at UFC Oklahoma City. She is now eyeing either former strawweight champion Weili Zhang or former title challenger Tatiana Suarez. While Kline has had only five UFC fights, "The Archangel" believes her dominant performance against Ricci warrants a high-profile matchup against Weili or Suarez next.
Fatima Kline believes she's ready for Weili Zhang right now
While Kline admits that Zhang and Suarez have more experience, she believes she can compensate with her skills. The 26-year-old is confident that she can hold her own against the best in the world.
"It seems like everybody thinks my greatest challenge would be Weili," Kline told Ariel Helwani. "I think I can beat the best in the world, so I'd be more than happy to take that, but I could see Tatiana as well… After a performance like I had, I do expect it to happen immediately… I think skillset-wise I can compete at the top of the division. Sure, they might have more experience than me, but I don't think in any way they have more skill than me. And that's why I think I can beat the best in the world."
Kline (10-1) has won four straight bouts, with two finishes, since her lone professional loss in her UFC debut in 2024.
Zhang (26-4) won the strawweight title for the second time in 2022 and defended it thrice before moving up to flyweight. The Chinese star hasn't fought since coming up short against Valentina Shevchenko in her flyweight title bid this past November. Meanwhile, Suarez (12-1) rebounded with a two-fight winning streak since suffering her only professional loss in a failed strawweight title bid against Zhang last year.
