Raquel Pennington wants title fight after potential win over Ketlen Vieira: “You can’t deny me.”

Raquel Pennington, Ketlen Vieira, UFC Fight Night 217UFC bantamweight Raquel Pennington expects big things if she walks out victorious at UFC Fight Night 217. The Colorado Springs native is scheduled to face Ketlen Vieira this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. With a win over No.2 ranked Viera, Pennington could potentially fight for the women’s bantamweight title next. During […]

Raquel Pennington, Ketlen Vieira, UFC Fight Night 217

UFC bantamweight Raquel Pennington expects big things if she walks out victorious at UFC Fight Night 217. The Colorado Springs native is scheduled to face Ketlen Vieira this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

With a win over No.2 ranked Viera, Pennington could potentially fight for the women’s bantamweight title next. During UFC Fight Night 217 media day, Pennington said her upcoming fight is a “great opportunity”. She also called for a second shot at UFC gold if things go her way. A win would extend Pennington’s five-fight unbeaten streak. She is also ranked No. 5 in the bantamweight division. 

“I expected this fight, honestly,” Pennington told the media. “I would be surprised if it wasn’t this one. I’m just excited. Great opponent, great opportunity, and that’s exactly what I’m seeing this as. She’s just another stepping stone in my way back to that world title shot.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

Raquel Pennington Believes a Win Over Ketlen Vieira Warrants a UFC Title Shot

“I’m on a roll. You can’t deny me, “Pennington said. “Five-fight win streak after Saturday, I’m right there. Give me my world title shot back. They’re gonna do what they do. I don’t know what Amanda (Nunes) is doing at this point and everything else, but I would actually love to fight Saturday, come out of the fight healthy, and then take a couple of weeks off, enjoy myself, breathe a little bit. And then I would love to fight in May and have that opportunity, and then the baby is born in June, and then focus on being a mom for a little bit.” (h/t MMA Junkie

Pennington last fought at UFC 273, where she defeated Aspen Ladd by unanimous decision. She has accumulated the most bouts (15) in UFC bantamweight division’s history.

UFC Fight Night 217 – Stephen Thompson Vs. Jorge Masvidal

For anyone who is a fan, this UFC Fight Night 217 bout is going to be of high entertainment value. The two fighters have very different styles. On one hand we have a Karateka with flair and on the other end of the ring is an experienced boxer with some serious hands and skills. If […]

For anyone who is a fan, this UFC Fight Night 217 bout is going to be of high entertainment value. The two fighters have very different styles. On one hand we have a Karateka with flair and on the other end of the ring is an experienced boxer with some serious hands and skills. If that is not a great setup for an entertaining fight, we don’t know what is.

Entertainment value aside, this fight is a serious one for both fighters and there is a lot at stake. They are both at pivotal points in their fighting careers and this is one of those make or break fights that will determine a lot going forward. Sadly, only one fighter can come out on top. Stephen Thompson is pretty up high in the rankings, but surprisingly he has actually not won a fight since last year. He did get a couple of big chances to make a mark this year, but was not really able to capitalize on them. The pressure is now on for him and he will have to really get this one in the bag or he will start slipping very quickly indeed.

Jorge Masvidal, has been walking a fine line so far. He has had a good share of wins, but has failed to really string together a decent winning streak so far and hence has never been able to really progress up the rankings. It’s only one of them that can hang on to their spot after fight night 217, the question is – who is it going to be?

Thompson is the more experienced fighter and is the favorite here, but Masvidal is a master tactician that can adapt to different opponents. We will have to side with Thompson here. His striking is nearly flawless and we don’t see how Masvidal can fend him off for too long.

UFC Fight Night 217 – Joanna Jedrzejczyk Vs. Rose Namajunas

Jedrzejczyk is the UFC woman in the limelight right now, she is soaring at the moment and looks close to unstoppable. She can find her way out of any take down and her striking has improved several folds. It is extremely difficult to handle her from near or afar. Not only has she been able […]

Jedrzejczyk is the UFC woman in the limelight right now, she is soaring at the moment and looks close to unstoppable. She can find her way out of any take down and her striking has improved several folds. It is extremely difficult to handle her from near or afar. Not only has she been able to successfully fend off challengers and defend her title five times, but has done so with considerable ease.

This one at UFC Fight Night 217 is an easy prediction. It is highly unlikely that Rose Namajunas can defeat Joanna Jedrzejczyk. It is not about whether Jedrzejczyk will be able to defend her titile, we are pretty sure she can! The question really is how much trouble can Namajunas cause while she is still standing on two feet.

So how good is Namajunas? Well, she is capable of causing some trouble. However, it is only a limited amount of trouble that she can cause. Against, someone like Jedrzejczyk, she might not be able to cause any trouble whatsoever.

Don’t get us wrong, Namajunas is a very talented fighter. She has defeated women such as Paige VanZant and Michelle Waterson.

But, Jedrzejczyk is just too much of an ask right now. Unless Jedrzejczyk for some reasons makes a huge mistake or only relies on grappling (which is Namajunas’ forte) or if Namajunas is able to land a heavy and unexpected blow to cut the fight short, it is highly unlikely that she will be able to come out on top here.

Furthermore, Jedrzejczyk is going to be up to the brim with confidence going into this fight. She has looked invincible recently and she knows how good her form is. Our prediction for this one is going to be Jedrzejczyk to win by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 217 – Coby Garbrandt Vs. TJ Dillashaw

TJ Dillashaw is the apple of the eye of Team Alpha Male who, before him, had struggled to bring home titles despite valiant efforts from some of the best fighter in the industry. In 2014, Dillashaw got the better of Renan Barao and got a chance at the bantamweight title, however, nobody predicted that he […]

TJ Dillashaw is the apple of the eye of Team Alpha Male who, before him, had struggled to bring home titles despite valiant efforts from some of the best fighter in the industry. In 2014, Dillashaw got the better of Renan Barao and got a chance at the bantamweight title, however, nobody predicted that he would be able to outdo gym mate Urijah Faber in the title fight. Against all odds, Dillashaw came out on top and that was the beginning of a rift that has now split the gym right down the middle.

Dillashaw then moved on and joined Elevation Fight Team. He had to defend his belt two times and did so successfully before he came up against Dominick Cruz who proved to be too much to handle. Faber came by even tougher times and even retired after consecutive losses.

Meanwhile, Coby Garbrandt was steadily growing and established himself as the top fighter coming out of the Alpha Male gym. This fight is going to certainly have a personal aspect to it. Team Alpha Male refer to Dillashaw as the snake in the grass and will want nothing more than to see Garbrandt beat him. However, Dillashaw will be just as hungry and will certainly want to show the Alpha Male team what he is made of.

It is a really tough one to call, Garbrandt has been in excellent form recently. He has looked sharp and confident. Taking on Cruz is no walk in the park, but he was able to make it look easy. How till things turn out when he comes up against Dillashaw at UFC Fight Night 217? Our prediction is a victory for Dillashaw.

UFC Fight Night 217 – Michael Bisping vs. Georges St-Pierre

UFC Fight Night 217 is almost here and all eyes are going to be on the highlight of the main card which is Michael Bisping Vs. Georges St-Pierre. Fighting in the middle weight division. The fans are almost divided exactly in half when it comes to what they think about this fight, either you love […]

UFC Fight Night 217 is almost here and all eyes are going to be on the highlight of the main card which is Michael Bisping Vs. Georges St-Pierre. Fighting in the middle weight division. The fans are almost divided exactly in half when it comes to what they think about this fight, either you love it or you hate it. Some think it is the most interesting fight to happen in the UFC for a while, and others say it is the worst match up in the history of the UFC.

In a competitive sense, the fight is most certainly a questionable one. Both fighters have been missing in action for substantial periods now. On one hand, Bisping has not been fighting regularly and for more than one reason and St-Pierre fought last over four years ago. Given their long absences, it is not really a question of whether they are going to be rusty but rather a question of how rusty are they going to be? However, if either fighter had to come back and face anyone else in the division, it would be much worse. In fact, this is actually a balanced fight considering that they have both been out of action in recent times.

Even though there are several other top-notch contenders in this weight class, this fight can be justified purely from a standpoint of the history that these two fighters have. St. Pierre is one among “the greatest of all time” and Bisping has taken down the likes of the best in the business including the likes of Silva.

St. Pierre is the better pound to pound fighter, there are factors such as ring rust and size difference which are not in his favor at all. Having said that, Bisping is known to make mistakes. St. Pierre should be able to put this one in the bag.