Last fight
Win
Pennington vs Peña
Oct. 5, 2024
UFC Spotlight
Stats & Records
1
Wins by Knockout
4
Wins by Submission
Significant Strikes include all strikes at distance, plus power strikes in the clinch and on the ground.
Striking accuracy
- Sig. Strikes Landed
- 1193
- Sig. Strikes Attempted
- 2426
A takedown is awarded when a fighter deliberately grapples an opponent to the ground and establishes an advantageous position for an appreciable amount of time.
Takedown Accuracy
- Takedowns Landed
- 11
- Takedowns Attempted
- 58
- Sig. Str. Defense is the percentage of significant strikes attempted against a fighter that do not land.
- Takedown defense is the percentage of takedowns attempted against a fighter that do not land.
- Knockdown Avg. is the average number of knockdowns per 15 Minutes window.
Sig. Str. by target
athlete record
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Info
Status
Active
Place of Birth
Colorado Springs, United States
Trains at
Colorado Springs BJJ
Fighting style
Freestyle
Age
36
Height
67.00
Weight
135.00
Octagon Debut
Dec. 1, 2013
Reach
67.50
Leg reach
37.00
- 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.
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
When and why did you start training for fighting? 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.
Training: 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: Triangle
Favorite striking technique: 1-3-2 liver kick
