The women’s bantamweight division has stalled ever since Amanda Nunes’s retirement in June. Nunes held the title for seven years non-consecutively, dropping just one fight in the timeframe. She immediately avenged her one loss and defended her belt against Irene Aldana before calling it a career as a double champion with 8 title defenses in that time. With big shoes to fill, Mayra Bueno Silva and Raquel Pennington will square off in the co-main event in Canada to crown a new champion. The winner will become just the third women’s bantamweight champion since 2016.
Mayra Bueno Silva rides a 3-fight winning streak coming in, and would have a 4th win on her streak had she not tested positive for banned substances after her last win. Her stunning second-round submission win over Holly Holm has been changed to a no-contest. Despite the positive test, Bueno Silva still received a title shot after being cleared of any wrongdoing. The most dangerous part of Sheetara’s game is her jiu-jitsu, with 7 of 10 wins coming by submission.
Raquel Pennington presents real challenges for the Brazilian and looks to win the belt that she fought for back in 2018. Since dropping that fight to the aforementioned Amanda Nunes, Rocky has gone 6-2 in her quest back to the belt. With a 5 fight-win streak including wins over Ketlen Viera and Pannie Kianzad, Pennington is as ready as ever to claim gold. She comes into the fight with nearly twice the experience of Bueno Silva along with many big names on her résumé.
Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva Recap
The first round opened with both girls meeting in the middle. Bueno Silva attacked the body with kicks while Pennington looked to get on the inside with her boxing. A big takedown halfway through the round allowed Bueno Silva to hop on the back of Pennington, which she took immediately. The Brazilian held a body triangle throughout the remainder of the round, looking to attack the neck with a rear-naked choke but finding no success.
The second round saw Pennington start to tee off on Bueno Silva with some massive straight shots. Pennington pushed her against the cage, a mistake on her end as she was quickly reversed and ended up with the Brazilian on her back again. Another rear-naked choke attempt was unsuccessful for Bueno Silva, who seemed to be more tired at this point in the fight.
The action picked up right where it left off in round 3, with much of the same happening. Lots of clinch work from both girls and more choke attempts by Mayra Bueno Silva. With a minute left in the round, Bueno Silva seemed content with laying on her back and was losing steam. After standing up, Pennington dragged her right back down and landed some small shots from full guard.
Bueno Silva came out hard in the fourth with a massive superman punch that caught everyone’s attention. However, she was immediately dragged back to the cage and controlled. Another choke attempt from Sheetara looked close to finishing the fight, however, Pennington withstood the pressure. Rocky got back into full guard and landed some hard shots to end the round.
The fifth round saw a change, with Raquel Pennington pushing for the chokes. She held an arm triangle for at least half the round and had Bueno Silva in a tough spot for a long time. After a while, she was forced to let go and she settled in guard again. Pennington ended the fight standing over the gassed-out Brazilian while landing some leg kicks. Bueno Silva had a couple of chokes that got close, but that was all she had in the fight.
The scorecards weren’t in question, as Pennington dominated most of the fight. A clear Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45) was given to Pennington, granting her the title she fought so hard to get back to. She called out Julianna Peña following the win, looking to make her first defense against a former champion.
UFC Fighters React to Disappointing Co-Main Event in Canada
UFC fighters reacted to the disappointing fight:
How did you feel about UFC 297’s co-main event? Do you want to see Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña next? Let us know in the comments below.
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