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Following her successful outing against Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297, Raquel Pennington captured the UFC women's bantamweight title. She outpointed 'Sheetara' on the scorecards to take home the unanimous decision victory.
With the win, Pennington made it six straight triumphs in the UFC to take her record to 15-8. She subsequently called out former champion Julianna Pena, insisting that a fight between the two is overdue:
"You [Pena] get under my damn skin. I've been waiting for that fight for 13 years...whether the title is on the line or not." [h/t MMA Junkie]
She was also questioned about Pena during her post-fight octagon interview. Daniel Cormier asked her what she thought about Pena's past comments and a potential fight, to which she replied:
"I thought it was gonna be Julianna next. So, Julianna, get your a** better and sign the dotted line. It's been ten years that I've been waiting for that fight."
Check out Raquel Pennington's post-fight octagon interview here (3:16 for her comments):
Judging by Pennington's remarks and the state of the women's bantamweight division in general, it looks like Julianna Pena will get her wish and face Raquel Pennington for the bantamweight title next.
Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Pena - When did the rivalry begin?
The rivalry between 'The Venezuelan Vixen' and 'Rocky' dates back to season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter, which aired all the way back in 2013. Both Pena and Pennington competed, but did not end up facing each other.
Pennington was defeated by Jessica Rakoczy, who Pena would go on to beat in the finals. The two, however, were on the same team, as they both fought under Miesha Tate, with the opposing coach being Ronda Rousey.
While they didn't face each other then, it's clear from Pennington's comments that she has considered Pena to be a rival ever since. The former champ, for her part, lays claim to being next in-line as she was the last woman other than Amanda Nunes to hold the women's bantamweight strap.
After beating Nunes in their first fight, Pena would lose the title to the 'Lioness' in the rematch. The Brazilian followed that up by defending her belt against Irene Aldana after 'The Venezuelan Vixen' withdrew from the trilogy bout.
After a successful defense against the Mexican, Nunes retired and vacated the belt.
