Former UFC bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington’s Octagon return is reportedly set for Noche UFC.
Amid the escalating talks of a super fight between UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison and UFC Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes, Raquel Pennington is one of several forgotten contenders in the division. But Pennington will soon have her chance to make another case for a title shot almost a full year since losing the belt.
Pennington hasn’t fought since a split decision loss to Julianna Peña at UFC 307 last October. She earned the bantamweight title, vacated by Nunes, at UFC 297 over Mayra Bueno Silva.
According to several reports, Pennington will return on one of the biggest cards of the year against one of the bantamweight division’s hottest contenders.
Raquel Pennington booked for UFC return on upcoming Noche UFC card in San Antonio
As first reported by AG Fight, a matchup between Pennington and Norma Dumont is in the works for Noche UFC on September 13th in San Antonio. The Pennington vs. Dumont matchup was later confirmed by MMA Fighting‘s Damon Martin.
Dumont returns to the Octagon for the first time since defeating former UFC title challenger Irene Aldana at UFC 306 last September. She’s been campaigning for several high-profile fights in recent months amid her five-fight win streak.
Dumont has surged up the bantamweight rankings with recent wins over Germaine de Randamie, Chelsea Chandler, and Karol Rosa. Her unanimous decision win over De Randamie marked her impressive return to the bantamweight division.
Pennington vs. Dumont serves as a likely title eliminator bout as the UFC matchmakers continue to work on booking Harrison vs. Nunes. Harrison captured the UFC women’s bantamweight title by submitting Peña at UFC 316 last month.
Noche UFC takes shape with Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva headliner
Noche UFC featured a featherweight headliner between Diego Lopes and Jean Silva, two of the division’s top contenders. The winner could be next in line for a title shot after UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski‘s win at UFC 314.
Lopes lost to Volkanovski by unanimous decision at UFC 314, defeating several top names before the loss. He’s beaten the likes of Brian Ortega, Dan Ige, and Sodiq Yusuff in his UFC tenure.
Silva is unbeaten in the UFC Octagon with recent finishes of Bryce Mitchell, Melsik Baghdasaryan and Drew Dober. He’s earned three consecutive post-fight performance bonuses.