‘Rocky’ Road To UFC 297 Has Been ‘Super Frustrating’

Raquel Pennington can join a rare group of champions with a win at UFC 297 this weekend (Sat., Jan. 20, 2024).

The women’s Bantamweight title is up for grabs in the UFC 297 co-main event and is only the second time the belt will be fought over between two fighters not named Ronda Rousey or Amanda Nunes. If Pennington can secure the strap by defeating Mayra Bueno Silva, she’ll join Charles Oliveira and Robbie Lawler as the third fighter to win UFC gold 10 years after their promotional debut.

“Rocky” joined UFC through The Ultimate Fighter 18 (TUF), which was the first season to feature women shortly after they joined the roster in 2013. UFC 297 will be Pennington’s second chance at becoming a UFC champion after she fell short in her first bid against the aforementioned Nunes at UFC 224 in May 2018. Despite currently riding the best stretch of her 23-fight career (15-8) with a five-fight winning streak, it has been less than smooth behind the scenes for the 35-year-old veteran as multiple names have been scrambled in the mix this past year.

“I don’t know who she thinks she is right now,” Pennington said of Bueno Silva at UFC 297 media day. “I’ve been in this sport for a very long time. I’ve been in the Top 10 the majority of my career in the UFC, and for her to sit here like, they were trying to find another opponent because Julianna [Pena’s] injured. It was supposed to be me and Julianna. So for her to think that it’s supposed to be her and Julianna, like I love the world that she’s living in in her own mind, but she’s a little confused.

“It’s just been an interesting journey for me,” she continued. “When me and [Irene] Aldana got scheduled, they told me when I originally fought Ketlen [Vieira] it was for a No. 1 contender fight then all of a sudden that fight passes and they’re like, ‘Oh, well, here’s the deal. Julianna and Amanda are going to fight again so you and Aldana are going to fight again.’ It’s like, okay, you guys are completely saying totally different [things] to me. It was frustrating. Then Julianna gets injured and I’m like okay, I’m supposed to be next, and they’re like, ‘Well, we’re gonna pull Aldana up. It makes sense, we want Mexico to take the chance at having another champion.’

“I hear all the entertainment behind it, but as an athlete, it’s super frustrating,” Pennington concluded. “Then they called me and were like, ‘Would you still like to fight in the main event in May?’ It’s like, what makes sense? I’m supposed to be fighting a No. 1 contender fight, tell me who makes sense. And they’re like, ‘Mayra Bueno Silva.’ At this time, I think she was still like 13. How does that make any sense?”

Pennington noted how she’s never one to back down from any opponent, but with her run closer to the end than the start, the vision and goals are clear. Therefore, somewhat clearing a path for Bueno Silva, considering how everything has played out.

“I’m at a point in my life where I’m on a mission,” Pennington said. “So to me, it didn’t make any sense. Then I wake up to headlines the next day and it’s ‘Clash of the Top 10, Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Holly Holm.’ So, you guys bumped her for promoting, or what the hell happened there? So then she beats Holly Holm and of course, she gets bumped. The ranking are interesting, but she’s here now, so it is what it is.”

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 297 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNEWS at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

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