UFC 297: Raquel Pennington crowed new bantamweight champion with ex-champ Amanda Nunes in attendance

At UFC 297, the inaugural PPV featured Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis in the main event, competing for the middleweight title. In the co-main event, former title challenger Raquel Pennington faced surging contender Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant bantamweight title following Amanda Nunes’ retirement.

Du Plessis secured a closely contested split decision victory over Sean Strickland, making him the first South African UFC champion. Despite all 7 male Canadians losing on the card, the two Canadian women who fought emerged victorious with finishes.

Raquel Pennington beats Mayra Bueno Silva

Raquel Pennington was crowned the new women’s bantamweight champ in the UFC with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Mayra Bueno Silva. After the first round that saw Bueno Silav employ her grappling to full effect, Pennington pulled away with her striking and wrestling.

Leading into the fight, Silva was extremely critical of Pennington, who she deemed as a boring fighter. However, Pennington brushed off Silva’s trash talks as she believed that the Brazilian fighter was just confused. Nonetheless, Pennington did what she predicted before the fight as her fighting did the talking.

With the victory, Pennington has set her sights on former champion Juliana Pena, who was originally slated to face Pennington at UFC 297. Even before the fight, both Pena and Bueno were angling for a fight but Pennington has just put her name on the equation.

Pennington’s first attempt at the tile was at UFC 224 against Amanda Nunes in a fight in which Nunes demolished Pennington en route to a 5th-round TKO. Without Nunes, the division is wide open and the UFC will most likely be booking for a Pennington vs Pena fight next.

Raquel Pennington win bantamweight title with Amanda Nunes in audience

Amanda Nunes was present at UFC 297 with her wife, Nina Nunes, and their two daughters to witness who would be crowned the new champion in her stead. Nunes, often considered the GOAT of women’s MMA, retired at UFC 289, incidentally in Canada, following a dominant victory over Irene Aldana.

Nunes congratulated Raquel Pennington at UFC 297 for the victory as they are on friendly terms. Even though they fought in the same division, both Pennington and her wife, Tecia Torres are friends with Nunes and her wife Nina. Incidentally, Nina Nunes and Tecia Torres are former UFC strawweight fighters.

Nunes had a dominant run in the UFC’s bantamweight division piling up records after records. Pennington was one among her six title defense opponents in the division which includes names like Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, and Holly Holm.

What do you think of Raque Pennington’s victory at UFC 297? Leave your thoughts below!