The winner of this one should be in a prime position to challenge reigning UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes.
UFC San Antonio is getting a potential No. 1 contender as its headliner.
First reported by James Lynch and later confirmed by Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes, the UFC is finalizing Raquel Pennington vs. Irene Aldana 2 for the upcoming event on March 25 at the AT&T Center in Texas.
Pennington and Aldana first fought at UFC on ESPN 4 nearly four years ago. ‘Rocky’ defeated Aldana by split decision, which saw her snap a two-fight losing streak.
Pennington has won five of her past six appearances. Following the Aldana fight, the 34-year-old fell short against former UFC champion Holly Holm at UFC 246. Pennington rebounded with five consecutive wins, with her most recent coming against Ketlen Vieira at UFC Vegas 67 earlier this month.
Aldana returned to the win column with a decision over Vanessa Melo and Vieira in appearances at UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens and UFC 245, respectively. The Lobo Gym representative was poised for her first UFC championship opportunity with a win over Holm at UFC Fight Island 4, but she suffered a loss.
Since then, Aldana added Yana Santos (née Kunitskaya) and Macy Chiasson to her resume with back-to-back (T)KOs. She was then reportedly considered as the next challenger for Nunes, but Aldana revealed to Legaspi that the UFC had yet to offer her that fight. And with this announcement, it appears they have gone in a different direction.
Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more updates to UFC San Antonio as they become available in the coming months.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)