Tag: raquel pennington

Dana White urges UFC 297 co-Main event to ‘Step-Up’ amid criticizm: ‘Think about how Ronda Rousey built that division’

Dana White urges Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva to step up at UFC 297 think about Ronda RouseyPromotional CEO, Dana White has urged tonight’s co-main event clash at UFC 297 between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno…

Dana White urges Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva to step up at UFC 297 think about Ronda Rousey

Promotional CEO, Dana White has urged tonight’s co-main event clash at UFC 297 between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva to stand up and deliver amid claims of a lacklustre bout – urging the duo to take inspiration from inaugural bantamweight gold holder, Ronda Rousey.

Taking co-headlining status in the promotion’s first outing in a pay-per-view setting this year, one-time bantamweight title challenger, Pennington makes her return to the Octagon in the midst of a stunning winning run, attempting to land her first promotional belt.

And taking on fierce Brazilian foe, the surging submission ace, Bueno Silva, Pennington and the grappling ace have been under the microscope across fight week ahead of UFC 297 – in particularly receiving criticizm from event headliner, Sean Strickland.

Taking main event honors in his first attempted defense of the middleweight crown, Strickland takes on surging South African contender, Dricus du Plessis, and made the bold claim his bout was finalized in order to save the card from a vacant bantamweight title headliner.

Sharing his thoughts on the pairing of the surging Pennington and Bueno Silva, UFC boss, White urged the bantamweight contenders to take inspiration from former titleholder, Rousey, whom he credited with “building” the 135 pound weight class.

Dana White looks to inspire UFC 297 co-headliner

“Those two [Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva], you have to look at that division and think Ronda Rousey built that division,” Dana White told Sportsnet. “These girls have to step up and deliver Saturday night, you know.”

“Listen, a lot of fights get overlooked, so make them pay for it Saturday night,” Dana White explained. “Stand out, make the place go crazy and deliver. And that’s what they need to do. Listen, we do the bells and whistles, we do all these other stuff. Saturday night, you have to go in there and show the world who you are and make the world talk about you on Sunday.” 

Julianna Peña issues warning to foes ahead of vacant title fight at UFC 297: ‘Don’t worry, mama’s coming home soon’

Julianna Peña issues warning to foes ahead of UFC 297 title fight don't worry mama's coming home soonFormer undisputed bantamweight champion, Julianna Peña has issued a warning to both Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva –…

Julianna Peña issues warning to foes ahead of UFC 297 title fight don't worry mama's coming home soon

Former undisputed bantamweight champion, Julianna Peña has issued a warning to both Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva – ahead of the pair’s vacant title outing at UFC 297 this weekend, as well as bizarrely, surging flyweight contender, Maycee Barber.

Peña, the current number one ranked bantamweight contender, has been sidelined from the Octagon since she suffered her title loss in a rematch against former two-division champion, Amanda Nunes at UFC 277 back in July 2022.

Slated to make her comeback in a June title trilogy rubber match against the Brazilian queen last year, Washington native, Peña was forced from the bout due to an injury setback, and was replaced by Mexican challenger, Irene Aldana. 

Yet to make her return to active competition in the time since Nunes’ retirement and vacating of the title back in June, Peña missed out on a vacant championship fight in Canada this weekend at UFC 297 – with Pennington taking on the surging, Bueno Silva over the course of five rounds for vacant spoils.

Julianna Peña plots incoming Octagon return

Maintaining she will challenge for spoils in her immediate return, Peña, the first female Ultimate Fighter winner, has sent a warning to the pair – as well as flyweight contender, Barber ahead of the UFC 297 card.

“Don’t worry, mama’s coming home soon,” Julianna Peña posted on her official Instagram account. “#Baddestf*ckingmother #BFMchamp #thepeñapower #ufc.” 

Over the course of her tenure with the Dana White-led UFC, Peña has turned in notable victories over the likes of former championship challengers, Jessica Eye, Cat Zingano, and Sara McMann, as well as former undisputed gold holders, Nicco Montaño – and the aforenoted, Nunes in arguably the greatest upset in the antiquity of the Octagon.

Would you like to see Julianna Peña fight for the title after UFC 297? 

Mayra Bueno Silva coy on Raquel Pennington title clash at UFC 297: ‘Nobody wants to watch this fight’

Mayra Bueno Silva plays down UFC 297 title fight with Raquel Pennington nobody wants to see itSlated to make her return to the Octagon at UFC 297 later this month, incoming vacant bantamweight championship challenger,…

Mayra Bueno Silva plays down UFC 297 title fight with Raquel Pennington nobody wants to see it

Slated to make her return to the Octagon at UFC 297 later this month, incoming vacant bantamweight championship challenger, Mayra Bueno Silva has claimed “nobody” is looking forward to viewing her siege against former title chaer, Raquel Pennington in Canada.

Bueno Silva, the current number three ranked bantamweight contender, will enter her first championship fight under the banner of the promotion this month at UFC 297, taking co-main event honors as part of a championship doubleheader.

Sidelined since July, Brazilian contender, Bueno Silva recently served a suspension after testing positive for ritilinac acid, seeing her blistering second round ninja choke submission win over former champion, Holly Holm overturned to an official ‘No Contest’ as a result.

For Pennington, the surging number two ranked bantamweight contender, is in the midst of an eye-catching five fight winning run, most recently landing a decision win over Bueno SIlva’s compatriot, Ketlen Vieira. 

Mayra Bueno SIlva plays down UFC 297 title fight

However, Bueno Silva – who has already seen her title fight with Pennington played down with UFC 297 headliner, Sean Strickland, claims nobody is tuning in to see their bantamweight title clash.

“I will dominate Raquel Pennington,” Mayra Bueno Silva told MiddleEasy during a recent interview. “I promise to give a big show. In the paper, it’s no good fight because nobody wants to watch this fight, I know.”

“This fight, on paper, is no good,” Mayra Bueno Silva explained. “But I promise I will give a big show for everybody. Everybody [will] go home and think about, ‘Hey, this girl, Mayra Bueno Silva, is the chosen one.’”

The most recent holder of the undisputed bantamweight championship came in the form of former two-weight gold holder, Amanda Nunes, who relinquished the undisputed crowns after calling time on her illustrious career back in June of last year. 

Who wins at UFC 297 later this month: Raquel Pennington or Mayra Bueno Silva?

Report – Raquel Pennington set to fight Mayra Bueno Silva in vacant bantamweight title fight at UFC 297

Raquel Pennington set to fight Mayra Bueno Silva for vacant title at UFC 297 in CanadaA vacant bantamweight championship fight between one-time title challenger, Raquel Pennington and streaking divisional contender, Mayra Bueno Silva is…

Raquel Pennington set to fight Mayra Bueno Silva for vacant title at UFC 297 in Canada

A vacant bantamweight championship fight between one-time title challenger, Raquel Pennington and streaking divisional contender, Mayra Bueno Silva is set to take place at UFC 297 on January 20. from Toronto, Canada.

Pennington a one-time bantamweight title challenger and current number two ranked divisional contender, has been sidelined since she most recently turned in a split decision win over Ketlen Vieira back in January of this year at UFC Vegas 67 – landing her fifth consecutive victory.

Initially landing an impressive second round ninja choke submission win over former bantamweight champion and common-foe, Holly Holm in a July main event earlier this summer, Bueno Silva saw the bout overturned to an official ‘No Contest’ after she returned a positive drug test sample for the banned substance, ritalinic acid, which she claimed stemmed from ADHD medication use. Initially slapped with a suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Bueno Silva is eligible to return to active competition later this month.

Raquel Pennington books title fight with Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297

Per an initial report from Brazilian outlet, AgFight tonight, Raquel Pennington will make her first outing in a year since her victory over Vieira, as she takes on Mayra Bueno Silva in a vacant bantamweight title fight.

“UFC forwards Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva to January 20th.” AgFight posted on their official X account. “The fight is valid for the vacant bantamweight belt.”

Competing for a vacant bantamweight championship, the division will look to crown a new titleholder, following the retirement of former two-weight champion, Amanda Nunes back in June after a one-sided unanimous decision win over Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in ‘The Great White North’. 

Amongst her impressive winning run, Pennington, who previously challenged Nunes for bantamweight gold, landed wins over the likes of Pannie Kianzad, Macy Chiasson, Aspen Ladd, and the above-mentioned, Vieira.

As for Bueno Silva, the Brazilian contender landed her first main event victory at the first time of trying prior to her overturned result against Holm earlier this summer – prior back-to-back submission wins over both Lina Lansberg, and Stephanie Egger. 

Who wins at UFC 297: Raquel Pennington or Mayra Bueno Silva?

Julianna Pena’s beef with Raquel Pennington goes back to their time on TUF: ‘Time for her to get another a** whooping’

Julianna PenaJulianna Pena and Raquel Pennington are plenty familiar with one another despite never actually stepping foot inside the Octagon together. More than a decade ago, Julianna Pena and Raquel Pennington introduced themselves to the world as part of the 18th season of The Ultimate Fighter. Despite both fighters being drafted to the same team, the […]

Julianna Pena

Julianna Pena and Raquel Pennington are plenty familiar with one another despite never actually stepping foot inside the Octagon together.

More than a decade ago, Julianna Pena and Raquel Pennington introduced themselves to the world as part of the 18th season of The Ultimate Fighter. Despite both fighters being drafted to the same team, the two never appeared to get along with one another. Now, with the two of them seemingly on a collision course in the bantamweight division, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ has one goal in mind; settling the score with her turncoat TUF teammate.

“I’ve never forgot about how horribly she talked about me in the house, and then accused me of being a brat, because I wouldn’t go hang out with them at nighttime while they were sitting around a campfire talking crap about me,” Peña said on The MMA Hour. “Like, you’re not my friend. And I found that out very quickly when we were living together for seven weeks.”

Julianna Pena Details the Tension Between Herself and Raquel Pennington in the TUF House

Julianna Pena went on to win TUF 18 while Raquel Pennington would come up short in the semi-final round, dropping a unanimous decision to Jessica Rakoczy. During their time together as part of Miesha Tate’s team, Pena accused ‘Rocky’ of drinking and partying all hours of the night even before she was eliminated from the competition.

“She’s sleeping up above me,” Peña said. “Before she was eliminated from the competition, she was staying up all night until, like, three in the morning, drinking and having a good time with everybody else that was eliminated from the competition. So she wouldn’t come to bed till, like, the wee hours. And then when Monday would roll around, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, every single day, we’re training two times a day, she wouldn’t come to practice. She was sleeping in, because she had stayed up the night before.

“So in the morning time, because we’re the first team to go into the gym that day — we had first practices — I’m waking up to get my medicine, I’m waking up to get my bags together, I’m waking up to start my day, but she’s mad about me doing that. So then she started to say that I’m like being all loud on purpose.

“We’re living on top of each other. We literally got the smallest room with three chicks in one room. We’re living on top of each other, and it’s not my fault that you stayed up all night and that you’re dragging ass in the morning and not even coming to practice. And again, this was before she was eliminated from the competition” (h/t MMA Fighting).

Initially, Julianna Pena chalked up their tension to the limited living quarters and their different approaches to the competition. However, during a segment where the women interviewed one another, Pena was prompted to ask ‘Rocky’ who she would most like to fight inside the house. Pennington immediately called out Pena.

“And I said, why me? Raquel, I put you in my high heels,” Peña said. “I did your makeup so beautiful. I gave you my dresses and taught you how to walk like a lady, and now you’re going to kick me out of the house? For what? This is such BS. And she said it was because I was too loud, and I said, ‘I’m just going to practice, dude, like I don’t even know what you’re talking about.’

“So anyways, she wasn’t able to get past Jessica Rakoczy … and that was somebody that I dominated and that I finished. And so, like I said, we’ve had this brewing for a long time now, and it’s a fight that’s been needing to happen for a very long time, since 2013. I haven’t forgot about it.”

Julianna Pena Would Prefer to Fight ‘Rocky’ Over Mayra Bueno Silva for the Bantamweight Title

With Mayra Bueno Silva’s impressive submission victory over ex-champion Holly Holm earlier this month, many have suggested that she, and not Raquel Pennington, is the woman that should be fighting Julianna Pena for the vacant women’s bantamweight world title. However, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ doesn’t see it that way, suggesting that a fight with ‘Rocky’ would not only be bigger but because there are some personal matters that still need attending with her former TUF castmate.

“I think that, yeah, it is [a bigger fight], because she is on a five-fight winning streak and she’s been crying about getting a title shot since the last time that she quit on the stool,” Peña said. “So it’s about time for her to get another a** whooping, I would assume.”

Who would you like to see Julianna Pena square off with for the vacant 135-pound crown?