Co-Main Event Spotlight | UFC 297

Card com as imagens de Raquel Pennington e Mayra Bueno Silva (Divulgação)

Take A Closer Look At The Bantamweight Title Fight Between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva At UFC 297: Strickland vs Du Plessis in Toronto, Canada

으로 By Kevin Schuster, on X @KevinESchuster • 02.01.24

A women’s bantamweight champion will finally be crowned in the UFC’s first pay-per-view event of the new year.

At UFC 297: Strickland vs Du Plessis, a two-title fight main card features newly crowned middleweight champion Sean Strickland defending his title for the first time against Dricus Du Plessis. But first, former title challenger Raquel Pennington faces Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant bantamweight strap, which has sat unclaimed since Amanda Nunes announced her retirement in June 2023.

In 2018, Pennington fought Nunes for the 135-pound championship, and was stopped late in the fifth round by the woman widely considered to be the greatest female fighter in UFC history. The loss only encouraged Pennington to continue chasing her dream. Now, eight fights later, Pennington gets her second chance to call herself the best 135-pound fighter on the planet.

Mayra Bueno Silva arrives at the UFC 2024 Seasonal Presser in Las Vegas (December, 2023)

Mayra Bueno Silva in Las Vegas, December 2023 (Photo by Maddison Nikora/Zuffa LLC)

Pennington is riding an impressive five-fight win streak, with her last loss coming against former champion Holly Holm in 2020. The Colorado native is currently the most seasoned fighter in the bantamweight division, with 16 fights to her name at 135 pounds, including wins over Jessica Andrade, Miesha Tate and Irene Aldana.

Pennington’s latest victory came against Ketlen Vieira at the beginning of last year. After three rounds, Pennington proved to be the more effective striker, out landing her opponent 81-64 in significant strikes. That figure shouldn’t surprise you, though, since Pennington currently holds the record for most strikes landed in bantamweight history at 1,310 total strikes. She also lands 50.4 percent of her significant strike attempts, the eighth highest in the division’s history.

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Standing across from Pennington inside Scotiabank Arena on January 20 will be submission ace Mayra Bueno Silva, who has finished seven opponents by submission in her professional mixed martial arts career. Bueno Silva is unbeaten in her last four fights, and has finished three consecutive opponents. Her latest submission win against Holm in July, however, was overturned to a no contest after Bueno Silva tested positive for a banned substance

Raquel Pennington comemora sua vitória no UFC Vegas 67. (Foto por Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Raquel Pennington reacts after her victory over Ketlen Vieira of Brazil in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on January 14, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Since entering the bantamweight division in 2022, Bueno Silva has become one of the most feared 135ers on the roster. After a Fight of the Night earning victory against Wu Yanan in her UFC bantamweight debut, Bueno Silva collected two straight submissions over Stephanie Egger and Lina Lansberg, and the submission turned no contest against Holm. All three of those stoppages came before the end of the second round.

Bueno Silva’s two submission victories at bantamweight are already the second most in the division’s history, and her one minute and 17 second armbar victory against Egger ranks the fourth fastest all-time amongst the 135ers.

While Bueno Silva is relentless with her submission game, she’s one of the division’s best on the feet. Since moving to 135 pounds, Bueno Silva has landed 57.3 percent of her significant strike attempts. Her 55 percent accuracy, overall, is the eighth highest in UFC women’s history. So that begs the question, who is more keen on taking the fight to the mat?

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Both fighters fall well below the UFC average for takedowns attempted; Pennington averaged 0.93 takedowns per 15 minutes while Bueno Silva attempts only 0.36. Pennington’s logged 53 minutes at 11 seconds of control time as a bantamweight, which is the fourth most in the division’s history. An important statistic to note, however, is that Pennington was out controlled in five of her last six fights, including her loss to Holm, who’s predominately known for her striking ability.

Another factor in this fight is that it is scheduled for five rounds. Pennington’s average fight length of 14 minutes and nine seconds is over four minutes above the UFC average, and she’s fought to a decision 10 times in the UFC, which may be crucial against an opponent who’s only seen the third round once in her last four fights.

Mayra Bueno Silva Gets The Kneebar Sub On Lansberg | UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs Blanchfield

Not only does Bueno Silva find finishes quickly, but she also wastes no time looking for them. As soon as the fight begins, Bueno Silva is aggressive and on the front foot. Pennington will likely need to weather an early storm from the Brazilian and wear her down before picking up the pace in the later rounds.

The best part of this matchup is its unpredictability. Statistically, this fight is as close as it gets between two fighters side-by-side in the rankings. Both fighters land just over four strikes a minute at over 50 percent accuracy, while being sound defensively; Pennington and Bueno Silva sit above the UFC average for strike differential.

The winner will also be only the third champion in the bantamweight division since Nunes claimed her first title in July 2016. And don’t forget, this fight leads into another can’t miss headliner between Strickland and Du Plessis for the middleweight championship. It all goes down Saturday, January 20 in Toronto, Canada.

UFC 297: Strickland vs Du Plessis took place live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on January 20, 2024. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!