Jessica Penne vs Tabatha Ricci Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for UFC 285 (Expect a Lengthy Strawweight Showdown)

Penne vs Ricci Fight Info, Date & Time

UFC 285 — Early Prelims Women's Strawweight Bout
Jessica Penne (14-6, 2 KOs) vs.Tabatha Ricci (7-1, 1 KO)
Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023
Fight Time: This will be on the early prelims card, which begins at 6:15 p.m. ET.
Venue: T-Mobile Arena — Paradise, Nevada
Coverage: UFC Fight Pass

Penne vs Ricci Odds & Prop Bets

All UFC 285 odds, lines and prop bets are available on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline:
- Jessica Penne: (+245)
- Tabatha Ricci: (-320)

Method of Victory:
- Penne by KO/TKO: (+2000)
- Penne by Points: (+370)
- Brunson by Submission: (+950)
- Ricci by KO/TKO: (+1000)
- Ricci by Points: (-125)
- Ricci by Submission: (+500)

Penne vs Ricci Prediction

Though Jessica Penne had a lot of fanfare when she was on The Ultimate Fighter, her career has left a lot to be desired since then. The 40-year-old veteran has lost four of her last six fights, most recently falling to Emily Ducote by unanimous decision back at UFC Long Island.

After losing her UFC debut as a flyweight, Tabatha Ricci has found success in a return to the strawweight class. She's won each of her last two fights since the change and heads into UFC 285 following a unanimous decision victory over Polyana Viana in May 2022.

With youth and momentum on her side, I'm siding with Ricci to win this weekend. She has the striking advantage over Penne while also boasting superior grappling skills. With Ricci averaging 3.95 takedowns per minute and Penne only owning a 40% takedown defense rate, the latter will be in trouble if this fight heads to the mat.

Back Ricci to continue her winning ways.

Winner: Tabatha Ricci

Penne vs Ricci Best Bet

For this fight's best bet, I have Ricci winning by points at -125 odds. Both she and Penne tend to go the distance more often than not. Four of Ricci's seven MMA fights have reached the time limit while three of Penne's last four have gone the distance.

Keeping that in mind, Ricci has looked like the better fighter lately and has the results to back it up. She won't have an issue getting the judges on her side, especially with how susceptible Penne is to both getting hit and taken down.

Bet: Tabatha Ricci by Points (+125)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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