Raquel Pennington

Overview

Thirteen UFC wins, and ten of them went the distance. Raquel Pennington, "Rocky" to anyone following the women's bantamweight division, has built a 13-6 UFC record without relying on knockouts. She has none in the UFC. Three of her wins are submissions and the rest are decisions.

Her 16-10 professional record covers all promotions, so the UFC numbers are the ones that count here. She debuted in November 2013 and has stayed in the division's mix for more than a decade.

She is not a finisher, and she is not trying to be one.

UFC Career

Pennington's UFC run started with a unanimous decision over Roxanne Modafferi at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate Finale. A split-decision loss to Jessica Andrade followed, but she answered with a submission of Ashlee Evans-Smith at 4:59 of round one. Then came a second split-decision loss, to Holly Holm. She avenged the Andrade defeat with a round-two submission in September 2015.

That win started her longest stretch: six straight, including decisions over Bethe Correia, Elizabeth Phillips and Miesha Tate. The streak ended in a main event against Amanda Nunes, a five-round fight that Pennington lost by KO/TKO at 2:36 of round five. Our model tags Nunes as an elite opponent. It is the only knockout loss on her UFC record.

The middle years were uneven. She dropped a decision to Germaine de Randamie, beat Irene Aldana on a split decision, lost to Holm again, then won four straight against Marion Reneau, Pannie Kianzad, Macy Chiasson and Aspen Ladd. Her submission of Chiasson came in round two at 3:07.

Her most recent wins, over Ketlen Vieira and Mayra Bueno Silva, came in 2023 and 2024. The Bueno Silva fight went five rounds, and we rate her a strong opponent. Her last fight, also five rounds, ended in a split-decision loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 307, so she carries a one-fight losing streak into her next bout.

Five of her six UFC losses went to the scorecards, and three of those were split decisions. Her fights rarely end early, and they are often close.

Fighting Style

Pennington is a busy striker who is hard to hit. She lands more per minute than most fighters in the UFC while absorbing fewer, and her striking defense is a clear strength. Her accuracy is about what you would expect.

She rarely shoots for takedowns, but she is very hard to take down, so fights tend to stay on the feet. Her submission attempts are in line with the UFC average, and she has three submission wins to show for it.

Her finishes all came early: one in round one and two in round two. Ten of her 13 UFC wins have gone to the scorecards, and she has no knockout wins.

Notable Wins

• Miesha Tate — unanimous decision, round 3, UFC 205 (2016)
• Mayra Bueno Silva — unanimous decision, round 5, UFC 297 (2024)
• Ketlen Vieira — split decision, round 3, UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov (2023)
• Macy Chiasson — submission, round 2 (3:07), UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus (2021)

Quick Facts

• Division: Women's Bantamweight
• UFC record: 13-6
• Professional record (all promotions): 16-10-0
• UFC debut: 2013
• Stance: Orthodox
• Reach: 67.5"
• Team: Colorado Springs BJJ
• Born: Colorado Springs, CO, United States