UFC strawweight contender Tecia Pennington overcame a lot to get to the Octagon on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 106.
Tecia Pennington earned one of the biggest wins of this chapter of her career by defeating Luana Pinheiro to kick off the action at UFC Vegas 106. But Pennington is far from satisfied after the win and begged the UFC matchmakers for a championship opportunity.
The 35-year-old Pennington has been through plenty of highs and lows during her UFC career, dating back to her time competing on The Ultimate Fighter 20 for a shot in the promotion. After earning a contract, Pennington has fought some of the best strawweight’s in UFC history, including former titleholders Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Jessica Andrade, and current titleholder Zhang Weili.
But Pennington’s win over Pinheiro might’ve been the most important of her career, given what she’s had to deal with recently away from the Octagon.
Tecia Pennington breaks down in tears after UFC Vegas 106 win
Along with becoming a mother, Pennington dealt with several losses in her immediate family leading up to UFC Vegas 106. After defeating another Top 15 contender, Pennington wants the opportunity to fight for a championship before she hangs up the gloves.
During her UFC Vegas 106 post-fight press conference, Pennington pleaded with the UFC matchmakers to give her an opportunity to push towards a title shot.
“I want to finish this sport with great wins, I want to be one of the best in the world…in the Top 5 again,” Pennington said. “I’ve got that momma strength and will in me now, and I fight with just more in my heart now. I don’t know if you’re watching this, but I lost my Dad just three months ago.
“I begged for a fight because I needed something to motivate me, because it’s really hard now being 11 years in the sport to be motivated these days…but when I have a fight, I’m motivated. I’m in the gym, I’m training hard, I’m missing time with my daughter…
“But I also love the sport…my arms, legs, still doing it. A lot stronger than in my whole life. I just have more to fight for, I fight for myself, for my Dad in his honor, both of my grandmas…I’m a very emotional person, very nice person but not in the Octagon.”
Pennington defeated Carla Esparza to snap a two-fight skid at UFC 307, leading to Esparza retiring from MMA after a long career in the cage. Before the win over Esparza, Pennington traded wins and losses, earning victories against the likes of Angela Hill and Michelle Waterson-Gomez.
- READ MORE: Rodolfo Bellato bizarrely blames ‘herpes’ as he breaks silence on UFC Vegas 106 fight cancelation
UFC Vegas 106 saw a last-second shakeup due to ‘herpes’ diagnosis
After Pennington’s win at the bottom of the UFC Vegas 106 card, the rest of the event delivered in a big way, despite a shakeup at the top. UFC light heavyweight Rodolfo Bellato was pulled from his scheduled fight with Paul Craig for an unusual reason.
Bellato vs. Craig is expected to be rescheduled for an upcoming event. As of this writing, Craig hasn’t issued any public remarks on Bellato’s short-notice withdrawal.
Bellato’s co-main event bout with Craig was scratched on minutes’ notice, as revealed on the UFC Vegas 106 broadcast. But after confusion ran rampant regarding the cancelation, Bellato revealed a ‘herpes’ diagnosis prevented him from competing at UFC Vegas 106.