Raquel Pennington Will Headline Fight Night Card in Rematch vs. Irene Aldana

Raquel Pennington Will Headline Fight Night Card in Rematch vs. Irene Aldana

Liam Lindsay|
April 19, 2023|
0

A clash between top-5 challengers Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana has been confirmed to headline UFC Fight Night 224 on May 20th inside the UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada. The two previously met at UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards in 2019, where Pennington won via split decision.

This fight takes place in the Women's Bantamweight (135 lbs) division.

Raquel Pennington holds a professional record of 15-8 (12-5 UFC) and is ranked #2 at Women's Bantamweight. She holds credible wins over Jéssica Andrade, Meisha Tate, and Ketlen Viera.

Irene Aldana holds a professional record of 14-6 (7-4 UFC) and is ranked #5 at Women's Bantamweight. She holds notable victories over Macy Chiasson, Bethe Correia, and Yana Santos.

Official odds have yet to be released.

Raquel Pennington is currently riding the longest winning streak of her professional career. After dropping a decision to Holly Holm in 2020, Pennington has won five straight. Her last fight came against Ketlin Viera, where she would outstrike the Brazillian across all three rounds to win a decision. Pennington possesses technical striking, which she'll look to use to go 2-0 over Irene Aldana.

Raquel Pennington outstriking Ketelin Viera on her way to a split-decision victory. Credits to: Chris Unger - Zuffa LLC.
Raquel Pennington outstriking Ketelin Viera on her way to a split-decision victory. Credits to: Chris Unger - Zuffa LLC.

Irene Aldana will be looking to bring her winning streak to three and equal the score with Pennington. Her last performance came at UFC 279: Diaz vs. Ferguson, where she scored a bizarre TKO over Macy Chiasson. Aldana would throw an up-kick off her back, which directly hit Chiassons liver, sending her down to the mat. She'll look to use her always dangerous striking to secure the victory in this matchup.

Irene Aldana standing over Macy Chiasson after her crazy liver-kick TKO. Credits to: Joe Camporeale - USA TODAY Sports.
Irene Aldana standing over Macy Chiasson after her crazy liver-kick TKO. Credits to: Joe Camporeale - USA TODAY Sports.

This is a key bout in the Woman's Bantamweight division, with the winner likely challening Amanda Nunes for the belt next. Who do you have winning this matchup? As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know your prediction in the comments below.

OverUnder
All of your weekly MMA updates in one place.
Keeping up to date with combat sports news can take up a lot of time, so we’re simplifying the process by bringing the most important stories directly to you. We read the internet all week and then summarize what you need to know in 3-4 minutes.
Enter your email to sign up for the OverUnder newsletter. The first email newsletter in MMA.
By subscribing, you will receive a weekly MMA newsletter from Verdict MMA. You can unsubscribe at any time.