UFC 297, the first PPV event of 2024, features a blockbuster main event between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis for the undisputed middleweight title. The PPV also boasts a solid co-main event for the vacant bantamweight title, featuring former challenger Raquel Pennington and surging contender Mayra Bueno Silva.
Pennington, a veteran in the sport, has been with the UFC since Dana White allowed the entry of women. On the other hand, Bueno Silva, a native of Brazil, held an okay record in the UFC’s flyweight division before moving up to bantamweight, where she remains undefeated as of now.
Raquel Pennington claps back at Mayra Bueno Silva
Mayra Bueno Silva has been vocal ever since she was announced to fight for the vacant title. The longtime champion, Amanda Nunes, retired at UFC 289 with a dominant victory over Irene Aldana, paving the way for Silva and Raquel Pennington to vie for the title. On media day for UFC 297, Pennington brushed off Silva’s trash-talking comments about the fight not being entertaining for fans, citing Pennington’s fighting style.
Bueno Silva had earlier made comments that a fight with former champion Juliana Pena would’ve been entertaining for the fans rather than a fight with Pennington. “At the end of the day, she’s talking all the crap and saying all the things, and sure, maybe the fans want to see her fight Julianna because they yap a lot,” Pennington said on the media in response to Silva’s comments.
Pennington clarified that she is not interested in verbal sparring and would let her fighting inside the octagon do the talking. “It was supposed to be me and Julianna. So for her to think that it was supposed to be her and Julianna, I love the world she’s living in her own mind, but she’s a little confused,” Pennington further said of Bueno Silva.
Originally, the UFC wanted to schedule the vacant title fight between Pennigton and Pena. However, an injury forced Pena out and Silva got the call. With UFC 297 ushering in the post-Amanda Nunes era, the future looks bright for the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division.
Raquel Pennington gets suggestion from former Strikeforce champ
Veteran fighter Raquel Pennington has received strategic advice from Josh Thompson, UFC alumnae, and former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson. Thomson, now a co-host of the Weighing-In podcast with retired referee “Big” John McCarthy urged Pennington to employ a pressure fighting style made famous by Thomson’s teammate and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
“Be grimy and dirty and make her understand, make Bueno Silva understand ‘This is not a normal fight,” Thomson advised Pennington on his podcast. Thomson further went on to say that what Cain did to Junio Dos Santos UFC 155 is what Pennington should do to Bueno Silva to become the bantamweight champion.
Velasquez was among the first heavyweight fighters to employ the pressure-heavy style in the UFC. This approach was later adopted by his teammates at the American Kickboxing Academy, including notable names like Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Like Velasquez, Thomson advocates for Pennington to push Bueno Silva to the fence and employ close combat techniques. He believes that being relentless and assertive inside the octagon is the key for Pennington to become the champion.
The co-main event between Pennington and Bueno Silva would set the stage for the middleweight title clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland. Both Raquel and Silva have picked Du Plessis to emerge as the victor in the main event.
Do you think Raquel Pennington will become the new bantamweight champion at UFC 297? Leave your prediction below!
