Women's Bantamweight

Raquel

"Rocky"

Pennington

L SD
Pennington
VS
OPPONENT
Julianna Pena
S-DEC
October 05, 2024
W UD
Pennington
VS
OPPONENT
Mayra Bueno Silva
U-DEC
January 20, 2024
W SD
Pennington
VS
OPPONENT
Ketlen Vieira
S-DEC
January 14, 2023
W UD
Pennington
VS
OPPONENT
Aspen Ladd
U-DEC
April 09, 2022
W SUB
Pennington
VS
OPPONENT
Macy Chiasson
SUB Guillotine Choke
December 18, 2021
16
WINS
10
LOSSES
0
DRAWS
AGE
37
HEIGHT
170 cm
WEIGHT
61.2 kg
REACH
170 cm
LEG REACH
37 cm
COUNTRY
United States

UFC HISTORY & CAREER

• UFC 307(10/5/24) Pennington lost a five round split decision to Julianna Peña, losing the UFC women's bantamweight title
• UFC 297(1/20/24) Pennington won a five round unanimous decision over Mayra Bueno Silva to win the UFC women's bantamweight title
• UFC Fight Night(1/14/23) Pennington won a three split decision over Ketlen Vieira
• UFC 273(4/9/22) Pennington won a three round unanimous decision over Aspen Ladd
• UFC Fight Night(12/18/21) Pennington submitted Macy Chiasson via guillotine choke at 3:07 of the second round
• UFC Fight Night(9/18/21) Pennington won a three round unanimous decision over Pannie Kianzad
• UFC on ESPN(6/20/20) Pennington won a three round unanimous decision over Marion Reneau
• UFC 246(1/18/20) Pennington lost a three round unanimous decision to Holly Holm
• UFC on ESPN(7/20/19) Pennington won a three round split decision over Irene Aldana
• UFC Fight Night(11/10/18) Pennington lost a three round unanimous decision to Germaine de Randamie
• UFC 224(5/12/18) Pennington was stopped by Amanda Nunes via strikes at 2:36 of the fifth round in a bout for the UFC women’s bantamweight title
• UFC 205(11/12/16) Pennington won a three round unanimous decision over Miesha Tate
• UFC 202(8/20/16) Pennington won a three round unanimous decision over Elizabeth Phillips
• UFC on FOX(4/16/16) Pennington won a three round split decision over Bethe Correia
• UFC 191(9/5/15) Pennington submitted Jessica Andrade via rear naked choke at 4:58 of the second round
• UFC 184(2/28/15) Pennington lost a three round split decision to Holly Holm
• UFC 181(12/6/14) Pennington submitted Ashlee Evans-Smith via bulldog choke at 4:59 of the first round
• UFC 171(3/15/14) Pennington lost a three round split decision to Jessica Andrade
• TUF 18 Finale(11/30/13) Pennington won a three round unanimous decision over Roxanne Modafferi
• The Ultimate Fighter, Season 18
• On episode 13 (semifinals), Pennington lost a three round unanimous decision to Jessica Rakoczy
• On episode six (quarterfinals), Pennington won a three round decision over Jessamyn Duke
• On episode one, Pennington submitted Tonya Evinger in the second round

IMPORTANT FACTS

Team Tate on TUF 18
Pro since 2012
Debut win was second round TKO of Kim Couture
Holds 2012 win over TUF 18 teammate Sarah Moras
Lost 2012 bout to UFC veteran Cat Zingano
One win by KO, four by submission (RNC, 2 guillotine choke, bulldog choke)
Has won 13 of her last 19
Origin of nickname – “It came from high school. People couldn’t pronounce my name and would always call me Rock-quel so the name was shortened to Rock, then over the years Rocky.

Q & A

Q: When and why did you start training for fighting?
ANSWER: I started training at the age of 19. I always wanted to fight but my parents never let me. In my senior yet I broke my back snowboarding and was rehabbing my back. Then I joined fighting to become more active.
Q: Training:
ANSWER: I train every morning doing strength and conditioning for two hours - usually 9-11. Then I have a break until 2pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then I go to Muay Thai, kickboxing or wrestling. Tuesday and Thursday I do jitz from 6:30 to 8:30.What ranks and titles have you held?As an amateur I was 7-1 with five titles - three at 135lbs, one at 130lb and one at 125lb 0 and ranked number one in the US. Before TUF as a pro I was 3-3 and I hold the world bantamweight/Hawaiian islands champion of Destiny MMA.Do you have any heroes?My hero is my mom.What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC?To fight in the UFC is every fighter’s dream come true. For me, it's a great accomplishment making it as high in the promotion as I can go and a life change for not only me, but my family. It’s also a way to reach out to the people in the world and tell my story and show them it's possible for them to achieve their dreams as well.Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn?I am currently in college doing pre-med in hopes of going to med school to be a doctor.What was your job before you started fighting?I worked at SAMs club, driving the forklift, stocking the freezers/cooler, while going to school and training.Favorite grappling technique:TriangleFavorite striking technique:1-3-2 liver kick

STRIKING ANALYSIS

STRIKING ACCURACY49%
STRIKING DEFENSE61%
LANDED/MIN
4.1
STRIKES PER MINUTE
ABSORBED/MIN
3.32
STRIKES ABSORBED PER MINUTE

GRAPPLING & WRESTLING

TAKEDOWN ACCURACY27%
TAKEDOWN DEFENSE62%
TAKEDOWNS/FIGHT
0.83
15 MIN AVERAGE
SUBMISSIONS/FIGHT
0.6
15 MIN AVERAGE

GENERAL ANALYSIS

UFC RECORD
13 W - 6 L
ACTIVE STREAK
-1 Losses
WIN BREAKDOWN
Knockout (KO)0
Submission3
Decision10
LOSS BREAKDOWN
Knockout (KO)1
Submission0
Decision5
FIGHTING STYLE Freestyle
STANCE Orthodox
UFC DEBUT Dec. 1, 2013