Raquel Pennington 'absolutely' expects to face Julianna Peña for vacant UFC bantamweight title

LAS VEGAS – Raquel Pennington has no doubt that her next fight will be for the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight title, and knows exactly who will be standing across the octagon.

Although their paths didn’t cross during Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Pennington (15-8 MMA, 12-5 UFC) believes everything has finally aligned for a showdown against former bantamweight champion Julianna Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC).

While “Rocky” is grateful for the time away from action while working through the life adjustments that come along with being a new parent, she expects her next fight to be for the title that Amanda Nunes left vacant in retirement after defeating Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in June.

“Absolutely. I sat there and told them that when everything played out that I wanted to be next,” Pennington told MMA Junkie and other reporters on the red carpet at the UFC Hall of Fame. “I was super frustrated with the way that everything happened, but I understand what they were doing with all the Mexican champions and stuff. But now, I’ll tell you what: I’m ready to get that world title next.”

Pennington fought for the tile once before, losing to Nunes at UFC 224 in 2018. Since that moment, she has put together a record of 6-2, including a winning streak of five straight. According to Pennington, it’s time for her opportunity to mix it up with Peña, a matchup that has somehow missed her over the years.

“This has been a fight that I’ve been waiting for since ‘The Ultimate Fighter,'” Pennington said. “So, what is that, 2013? Ten years later. There’s no way I’m coming out of that octagon without my hand being raised.”

If this is the direction the promotion goes for both fighters and the vacant title, it would be the third-straight title fight for Peña, who would be coming off a unanimous decision loss to Nunes in the rematch for the title at UFC 277.