Pannie Kianzad is starting to come into her own at 135 pounds and now she’s aiming for the top of the division.
Kianzad (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) picked up her second straight win when she defeated Bethe Correia via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 14 in Abu Dhabi.
Since dropping back down to bantamweight, Kianzad has won three of her past four and has respectfully called out former UFC bantamweight title challenger Raquel Pennington for her next fight.
Pennington (11-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC), like Kianzad, primarily fights on the feet and Kianzad thinks it would be a fun stylistic matchup.
“She’s an absolute badass and it would just be an honor to fight her,” Kianzad told MMA Junkie. “I think we would go really even. I like her style and it’s just one of those must-have fights for me.”
A finalist on Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Kianzad fell short in the finale while competing as a featherweight. But, after returning to her natural weight class, Kianzad has cracked the UFC’s Top 15 and is now ready to continue her ascent up the 135-pound rankings.
“Honestly, I would be lying if I would say anything else than the top, absolute top,” said Kianzad. “This is just one fight. There will be more fights, more wins, much harder fights. But the ultimate goal, no matter what anybody thinks, is to be No. 1 and when that happens, people won’t be so quick to judge. Because what’s the point of all this if the main goal
isn’t to be the best?
“I know this division, all of the girls, like the back of my hand. I know what they are good at, I know how great they are. Now it’s just time to get better. That’s it.”
Pannie Kianzad wants 'badass' Raquel Pennington next: 'It would be an honor to fight her'
