Raquel Pennington is defending her UFC bantamweight belt at UFC 307 October in Salt Lake City. But Pennington should be worried about more than Julianna Peña. MMAfighting news shows one of the rising contenders to challenge Pennington next after a successful defense will also be fighting that night.
Former PFL champion and Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison will be on the slate to fight Ketlen Vieira. Harrison put the rest of the division on notice when she debuted in the UFC by mauling former champion Holly Holm. It was previously thought the weight cut to 135 pounds would be too difficult for Harrison to make .
However, Harrison had no issues making the weight to debut at UFC 300. Throughout Harrison’s career, she has made a habit of bullying her opponents on the ground. Harrison is 17-1 overall in her career and has six wins by knockout and five by submission.
Vieira is a tough opponent who has victories over former champions Miesha Tate and Holm. However, Vieira isn’t on the same grappling level as Harrison. Here’s a look at the rest of the fights on the card, including the recent addition of former featherweight champion José Aldo.
This card is still lacking a main event. José Aldo, 37, is the most successful featherweight champion in UFC history. During the early to middle part of the 2010s, Aldo defended his featherweight crown seven straight times before losing in spectacular fashion to Conor McGregor.
Aldo decided to come out of retirement from MMA to fight Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 . The best MMA news sites show that Aldo was an underdog to the younger fighter but ended up picking up a decision victory. Aldo has won four of his past fights in the UFC and will be sent to take on Mario Bautista when he makes his 41st walk to the cage.
Bautista is in the middle of a strong run. Beating Aldo would be a nice addition to his resume if he can get the job done. Bautista has won six straight fights in the UFC including three of those bouts by submission.
Bautista has yet to grab a win over elite competition. While Aldo is aging, he would still represent an excellent win for a young fighter. Cookie Monster Set for Retirement Fight Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza had her moment in the MMA sun back at UFC 274 in May 2022.
In what is widely regarded as one of the most boring championship fights in UFC history, Esparza grinded out a split-decision win over Rose Namajunas to claim the strawweight title. It was a beautiful moment for Esparza, who finally ascended to the top of the UFC mountain at the same time she was getting married. But MMA latest updates show her interest in fighting slowly waned after that.
During Esparza’s first title defense, she was mauled by Zhang Weili and ended up being submitted in the second round at UFC 281 in November 2022. She decided enough was enough after that. At UFC 307, Esparza will fight Tecia Pennington in her retirement fight.
A desire to give her body a break after 20 years of punishment is a major factor. Pennington is a vicious puncher and the wife of bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington. Expect a spirited effort from Esparza, who is 19-7 in her career, during her final fight.
Can Aljo Keep up the Momentum? Aljamain Sterling decided not to stay at bantamweight after losing his championship to Sean O’Malley. However, the difference in weight class hasn’t halted the rivalry between the two men . Sterling decided to go up to featherweight, where he briefly fought in 2011.
Sterling will have to figure out a way to match up with Movsar Evloev. Evloev is also an excellent wrestler like Sterling. In addition to the wrestling, Evloev is a solid striker.
Sterling’s featherweight debut was a snoozer of a unanimous decision victory against Calvin Kattar at UFC 300. If he seriously wants to climb the ladder and try to become a multi-division champion, Sterling will need to string together a better performance. Can Peña Win the Title Back? Julianna Peña desperately wanted another opportunity to find Amanda Nunes.
Peña pulled off perhaps the upset of the year in December 2021 when she submitted Nunes in the second round of a bantamweight title fight. But that happiness would be short-lived. In July of 2022, Peña was battered by Nunes for five rounds.
There was a trilogy fight schedule for June of last year, but Peña suffered broken ribs in training and had to pull out. Nunes instead decided to fight Irene Aldana. When Nunes announced her retirement, Peña was shown on social media screaming in anguish about not getting her shot.
Raquel Pennington claiming the vacant title was a surprise. During Raquel’s career, she was primarily known for being in drawn-out striking affairs that typically went the distance. Both women will have a lot to prove for this fight.
Peña will want to prove her upset wasn’t a fluke, while Pennington will hope to show she wasn’t a one-hit wonder. Who Will Headline? That’s the last question still hanging out in the air. There was a thought that the featherweight title bout between Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria may end up there, but that ended up being sent to Abu Dhabi.
O’Malley’s next title fight will also be at the Sphere. This has been a crazy year for UFC fight scheduling. The main event for UFC 300 came in late, so there may still be some negotiating left to do for the headline of this event.
Other fights announced for the UFC 307 include: Women’s strawweight, Marina Rodriguez vs. Iasmin Lucindo Middleweight, César Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria Middleweight, Kevin Holland vs.
Chris Curtis This article first appeared on BoxingNews.com and was syndicated with permission..
