Raquel Pennington vs Julianna Pena Predictions & Tips – Pennington To Retain At UFC 307

Leigh Copson

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Last updated: 04 Oct 2024

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Leigh Copson 04 Oct 2024

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Raquel Pennington tipped to win by decision
Pennington is on a six-fight win streak
Julianna Pena has not fought since July 2022

Raquel Pennington (Getty Images)

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Raquel Pennington vs Julianna Pena Predictions & Tips

Raquel Pennington vs Julianna Pena Predictions & Tips
Raquel Pennington Form
Julianna Pena Form

Raquel Pennington vs Julianna Pena Predictions & Tips

Raquel Pennington is tipped to retain the women’s bantamweight title by decision.

It has been over two years since Julianna Pena last fought, and that spells trouble for the challenger.

Pennington is a grinder, so we expect her to fight tactically and wear down Pena to win on points.

Raquel Pennington is on a 6-fight win streak
11 of Raquel Pennington’s 16 career wins have been by decision
Raquel Pennington has gone the distance in 17 of her 24 career fights
Julianna Pena has not fought since here decision defeat to Amanda Nunes is July 2022

Raquel Pennington Form

Raquel Pennington is the defending UFC women’s bantamweight champion with a career record of 16-8 (1 KO, 4 Subs).

Pennington debuted in the UFC in 2013 and made a mixed start as she went 2-2 in her first four fights.

She hit a hot streak between 2015 and 2016 as she reeled off four consecutive wins, including a submission success against Jessica Andrade and a points win over Miesha Tate.

That earned the 36-year-old American a bantamweight title fight, but she came up short as she was knocked out by Amanda Nunes in the fifth round.

Pennington lost two of the next three two, sandwiching a decision win over Irene Aldana with points losses to Germaine de Randamie and Holly Holm, but she has put that behind here in recent years.

‘Rocky’ started a six-fight win streak when she beat Marion Reneau by decision, following that up with a points victory over Pannie Kianzad,

She then submitted Macy Chiasson in the second round, before securing a title fight with points wins over Aspen Ladd and Ketlen Vieira.

Pennington took her big chance, earning a unanimous decision win over Mayra Bueno Silva to claim the vacant bantamweight crown.

Julianna Pena Form

Julianna Pena is a former women’s bantamweight champion and current #1 contender with a career record of 11-5 (3 KOs, 5 Subs).

Pena signed with the UFC in November 2013 despite losing her final two outings on the regional MMA scene.

She made a flying start to her UFC career though, as she knocked out Jessica Rakoczy and Milana Dudieva in the first round in her first two fights.

The 35-year-old American then claimed decision wins over Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano before seeing her streak end with a second-round submission loss to Valentina Shevchenko.

Pena rebounded with a points win over Niccol Montano, only to then lose via submission to Germaine de Randamie.

‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ responded to that loss with a submission victory of her own, beating Sara McMann, and that earned her a shot at the bantamweight title in December 2021.

Pena shocked the world as she submitted dominant champion Amanda Nunes in the second round, but she failed to make a successful defence of the crown.

When the two women fought the following year, she surrendered the belt back to ‘The Lioness’ via unanimous decision.