Athletes
Where We Stand: Women's Bantamweight Division | October 2024
Julianna Peña Got Her Belt Back, But A Dominant Challenger Looms Large After UFC 307
The bantamweight belt changed hands once again as Julianna Peña outdueled Raquel Pennington at UFC 307. While the now two-time champion called for a trilogy fight with former double-champ and currently retired Amanda Nunes, Kayla Harrison made her own title bid with a win in Salt Lake City.
This is where we stand in the women’s bantamweight division:
Champion: Julianna Peña
Last Fight: Split Decision Win vs Raquel Pennington (10/5/2024)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: After more than two years away, Julianna Peña was at her gritty best in Salt Lake City. Despite being a step behind on the feet, Peña consistently got her hands around Pennington and dominated the grappling exchanges en route to her second title fight win. Peña is determined to get her trilogy bout with Amanda Nunes, but if “The Lioness” doesn’t come out of retirement, Kayla Harrison is surely her next challenge.
1) Raquel Pennington
Last Fight: Split Decision Loss vs Julianna Peña (10/5/2024)
Next fight: N/A
Raquel Pennington Octagon Interview | UFC 297
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Raquel Pennington Octagon Interview | UFC 297
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Outlook: By all rights, “Rocky” believed she did enough to retain her belt. She finished the fight strongly, including a knockdown in the fourth round, but the judges saw it otherwise. Now, the veteran Pennington will have to rebuild her way to the title. She already holds wins over four of the top 6, and the 36-year-old has all the goods to make her case again if she can string together the wins to do so.
2) Kayla Harrison
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Win vs Ketlen Vieira (10/5/2024)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: Harrison was pushed for three rounds against Vieira, but she showed her resolve in forcing the fight into her world eventually in each round. Although she was clearly disappointed to have not put on a more outrightly dominant performance, that’s just life in the Top 5, and Harrison now likely gets her chance to challenge for UFC gold next.
3) Ketlen Vieira
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Loss vs Kayla Harrison (10/5/2024)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: Vieira looked strong and capable against Harrison, but ultimately couldn’t get the judges’ nod. Now having lost two of her last three, Vieira will likely need to fight down the rankings before getting back on track to a title shot. She could face the rising Macy Chiassson, which would make plenty of sense for both athletes.
4) Macy Chiasson
Last Fight: TKO Win vs Mayra Bueno Silva (6/29/2024)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: The former winner of The Ultimate Fighter, Macy Chiasson seems to have put everything together after finishing Pannie Kianzad and Mayra Bueno Silva in back-to-back outings. The talented Chiasson seems to have also figured out her difficulties on the scale, and now that she is in the Top 5, she very well could be a big win away from a title shot. A fight against Vieira seems the most sensible, seeing as she has already lost to Pennington and beat Norma Dumont in the past.
5) Norma Dumont
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Win vs Irene Aldana (9/14/2024)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: Speaking of figuring things out, Norma Dumont is in her best form yet. The Brazilian put on the performance of her career in a unanimous decision win over Irene Aldana at UFC 306, and she has weighed in at the bantamweight limit both times with little drama. “The Immortal” is one of the sharper strikers in the Top 5, and she is due for a big fight. However, she does already have a loss to Chiasson on her record, so her options in the Top 5 are a little more limited unless Pennington wants to fight a little lower down the rankings.
In the Mix: Mayra Bueno Silva, Irene Aldana, Amanda Nunes?
Outlook: Irene Aldana and Mayra Bueno Silva both coming off losses, and Bueno Silva has lost two in a row, but they remain firmly in the title picture. They might have to fight further down the Top 10 to cement their spots, but they have both shown the skills to get them into respective title shots. Meanwhile, the real mystery is Amanda Nunes. She has recently teased the thought of coming back, but whether that happens before Harrison gets her shot is uncertain.
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