Tabtha Ricci Fabri Salto was born in Birigui, Sau Paulo, Brazil. Her father is a judo black belt and enrolled Ricci in judo classes at the age of six. As a teenager, Ricci would begin training in Muay Thai and won the Brazilian National Muay Thai Championship. She would later travel to Japan to compete in SEIZA and to the United States to learn jiu-jitsu. Ricci's nickname "Baby Shark" was given to her by a coach at Paragon BJJ due to her small stature and her competitiveness when training with males at the gym. Ricci would finish second among Light-Feather female brown belts at the 2019 WORLD IBJJF JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP.
Ricci was 5-0 before entering the UFC, having defeated two of her opponents by armbar, two by unanimous decision, and one by TKO. Her UFC debut came on June 5, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai. Ricci was a short notice replacement for Maryna Moroz in a fight against Manon Fiorot. Ricci would lose to Fiorot by second round TKO. She has since moved down to strawweight, where she has defeated Maria Oliveira and Polyana Viana by unanimous decision.