TORONTO – Nearly six years after suffering a disappointing loss to Amanda Nunes in her first UFC title match, Raquel Pennington has finally climbed to the top of the mountain.
Pennington (16-8) captured the UFC’s vacant bantamweight championship by defeating Brazilian challenger Mayra Bueno Silva (10-3-1) by unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 297 inside Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. All three judges scored the five-round bout for Pennington by scores of 49–46, 49–46, and 49–45.
The 35-year-old Pennington becomes the UFC’s first 135-pound champion since Nunes retired from the sport last year. She fought Nunes for the belt in Brazil in May 2018, losing via TKO. Many criticized Pennington’s corner afterward for not throwing in the towel, with Pennington looking defeated on her stool between rounds due to a dangerous leg kick from Nunes.
“It took a long five years to get here,” Pennington said. “I was hoping I’d come here and be more open, but a fight is a fight. Myra is tough. I’ve climbed mountains to get back here.”
32-year-old Bueno Silva threatened several times to ruin Pennington’s second chance at the championship. She fought for several chokes both standing and on the ground and came very close to getting a rear-naked choke in the fourth. Pennington, who made her professional debut in 2012 and is considered one of the early pioneers of women’s MMA, calmly survived every attempt and dominated the scorecards.
Pennington’s offense came primarily on the feet. He worked behind his jab all night, mixing in right crosses. Bueno Silva struggled to wear him down in the clinch, and Pennington repaid his efforts with knees and elbows to the body. The fight was slow at times, as both worked to a stalemate along the fence. However, Pennington was undoubtedly the busier of the two in those positions, and when she got on top, she scored points with a hammer.
The sellout Canadian crowd expressed some displeasure at the lack of action, but Pennington reminded them that it is difficult to score offensively in a hard-fought match. According to UFC Stats, Pennington had a 252–88 advantage in total strikes. He also achieved more control time than Bueno Silva, who is known for his grappling style.
The win sets up a possible fight between Pennington and Juliana Pena for the bantamweight title. Pena would have potentially fought Pennington at UFC 297, but he is coming off an undisclosed injury in 2023. He is not expected to be out for long.
Pennington said, “Julianna, proofread your work and sign on the dotted line.” “I’ve been waiting 10 years for that fight.”
Nunes, who by all accounts is happily retired, was in Toronto to watch the fight. Pennington became the sixth undisputed bantamweight champion in UFC history. The first was Ronda Rousey.
