LAS VEGAS — When Holly Holm won a split decision over Raquel Pennington at UFC 184 in February 2015, it dropped Pennington’s record to 5-5 and put her long-term career in the UFC in doubt. But Pennington has won five of her seven bouts since then and looks to avenge her loss to Holm on Saturday night in a bantamweight fight at UFC 246 at T-Mobile Arena.
The Holm-Pennington rematch is part of the main card, headlined by Conor McGregor facing Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, and offered on ESPN Plus PPV. Pennington said she has numerous times wondered why she didn’t get the decision in her first bout with Holm.
“It’s not just because I wanted to win,” Pennington said. “Being an athlete and a professional and looking at it, I feel like I won it. But that happens when it goes to the judges. It can be frustrating.”
Pennington went on to fight for the UFC women’s bantamweight title, losing to champion Amanda Nunes in 2018. Holm won the UFC bantamweight championship in a stunning upset of Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in November 2015, but lost the title in her first defense and has lost two attempts at a featherweight title, as well as her chance to regain the bantamweight belt from Nunes.
“This is my first rematch with somebody I’ve already been in there with,” Holm said. “I’ve had a lot of fights that could have gone either way. Sadly, all those went the other way. But that’s my fault that I didn’t make it clearer or do a better job. I’ve had enough of that. I don’t want it to be that close.”
It’s believed the winner of Saturday’s fight will be line for a rematch against Nunes.
“It’s a huge opportunity with [Holm] being a former champion and me having fought for a world title,” Pennington said. “I feel like once I go out there and get my hand raised, it’s going to give me the opportunity to fight for a title again.”
Also on the PPV main card, Aleksei Oleinik, the No. 12-ranked heavyweight, faces prospect Maurice Greene; and Anthony Pettis, ranked as the No. 11 lightweight, challenges lightweight contender Carlos Diego Ferreira. Alexa Grasso missed weight by 5.5 pounds, and her fight at strawweight with Claudia Gadelha is off.