Tag: raquel pennington

Raquel Pennington doesn’t believe she was defeated by Julianna Pena at UFC 307, as she recently shared her thoughts in her first public statement following the title setback.

“Rocky” was unable to hold onto her UFC bantamweight title in a razor-close battle against Pena last weekend at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. As the fight reached its midpoint, it remained closely contested, with both fighters having their moments of success. However, Pennington seemed to gain the upper hand in the final rounds, especially after rocking Peña with a devastating right hand late in the bout.

Despite “The Venezuelan Vixen” enduring the onslaught, she managed to hold her ground, convincing two of the judges that she had done enough to reclaim the title for a second time. Both awarded her 48-47 scorecards, while the third judge saw the fight in Pennington’s favor with an identical 48-47 score.

Pennington Demands Rematch With Pena

In the aftermath of her defeat, Pennington took to Instagram on Tuesday to share her thoughts on the bout against Pena. “Rocky” asserted in her statement that she feels the outcome did not reflect her performance and voiced her eagerness for a rematch with Pena.

“I’m home, and I’m health,” she wrote. “My heart hurts, but my head is high! I do not feel I lost that fight, but this is just another wild detour on this journey of mine. I will be back better than ever! I want the rematch stat! Regardless, what an amazing fight week. I was surrounded by so much love, support, and blessings. Memories that will last a lifetime. I’m full of gratitude, and I want to send a shout-out to all the people standing behind me.”

Pennington captured the vacant title with an impressive unanimous decision win against Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297 earlier this January. Her recent defeat brought an end to an impressive six-fight win streak.

• Read More: Daniel Cormier: Julianna Peña ‘Dropped The Ball’ By Not Calling Out Kayla Harrison

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Continue Reading Pennington Calls For Immediate Rematch After Controversial UFC 307 Defeat at MMA News.

UFC women’s bantamweight contender Julianna Peña continues to be unimpressed by Raquel Pennington’s efforts as champion.

Nine months on from winning the vacant belt at the expense of Mayra Bueno Silva in Canada, Pennington will return for her first title defense in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 307 pay-per-view.

Opposite “Rocky” in Salt Lake City, Utah will be a familiar face in the form of Peña, whom she featured with on the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 18 in 2013.

Animosity exists between the pair dating back to the show, and that’s led to plenty of back and forth in the lead-up to their collision inside the Octagon at the Delta Center this weekend.

Peña: Pennington Not A ‘Good Representation’ Of The Division

During her appearance at UFC 307 media day on Wednesday, Peña assessed how Pennington has fit into the role of champion following her crowning in Toronto this past January.

The former bantamweight queen unsurprisingly had a critical take, taking aim at Pennington’s failure to promote herself and their fight adequately.

“Raquel has not been a good representation of the women’s bantamweight division,” Peña said. “She has not promoted. She has said no to Embedded. She has constantly done everything that she can to avoid being the face of women’s MMA and not being that big face who wants to promote and be that big representation of women’s MMA.

“That, to me, is you’re showing me nothing, but you’re telling me everything by not being that person that is letting everyone know that you’re fighting,” Peña continued. “I want to be that person. That’s my role, and I can do it better, and that’s why I believe I am going to be able to seal the deal on Saturday night and get that gold again.”

While Peña is hoping and evidently expecting to invigorate the division with a second reign, one which she hopes draws Amanda Nunes back from retirement to complete their trilogy, Pennington no doubt has other plans.

And should “Rocky” have her hand raised in the “Beehive State,” she’d have achieved a feat that “The Venezuelan Vixen” failed when she held the gold — recording a successful title defense.

• Read More: Raquel Pennington Points Out Key ‘Mistake’ Julianna Peña Has Made Ahead Of UFC 307

Continue Reading Julianna Peña Slams Champ Raquel Pennington’s Promotional Efforts: ‘She Said No To Embedded!’ at MMA News.

Given her history of upsetting the odds, former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña is welcoming the underdog status attached to her this week.

For the third straight fight in her career, gold will be on the line when Peña makes the walk at Saturday’s UFC 307 pay-per-view, set for the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“The Venezuelan Vixen” is set to co-headline the event in competition for Raquel Pennington’s 135-pound title. Peña previously won the belt and subsequently lost it in a two-fight series with Amanda Nunes.

Having not competed since her rematch with the “Lioness” in June 2022, the former champ is being counted out by some. That’s reflected in the odds, with her line currently at +136 on DraftKings.

But Peña has absolutely no qualms about entering her title challenge as the underdog…

Peña Doesn’t Feel Like The Underdog At UFC 307

During a recent interview with Kevin Iole, Peña looked ahead to her first outing in over two years and chance to regain the title at 135 pounds.

While Pennington is favored to retain possession of the championship by the oddsmakers, “The Venezuelan Vixen” is more than ready to prove her doubters wrong — again.

“It doesn’t (surprise me). I think I was an 11-1 underdog at one point when I was fighting Amanda,” Peña said. “If you go back to the majority of my fights, I am always the underdog. In fact, right off the top of my head, I can’t even think of a time when I was the favorite.

“It’s just kind of like, I am that underdog role. I always have been,” Peña continued. “At the end of the day, it’s what I believe in my heart. I don’t feel like I’m the underdog. I’m very confident in what I am able to do. So you can call me an underdog, you can call me a favorite, you can call me whatever you want. Just remember that I am Julianna Peña, and I’m going to go in there and get my hand raised at any and all cost.”

While it wouldn’t mark the kind of shock win she achieved back in December 2021, Peña will be hoping to upset the odds once again en route to the women’s bantamweight throne this weekend.

• Read More: Julianna Peña Talks Beef With ‘Worst Roommate Ever’ Raquel Pennington: ‘Thirteen Years In The Making…’

Continue Reading Julianna Peña Gives Defiant Reaction To Underdog Status At UFC 307 at MMA News.