Report | Talk of Amanda Nunes vs Raquel Pennington is Under Way

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of the possible bantamweight title fight matchup between Raquel Pennington and the champion, Amanda Nunes. In fact, the fight was apparently on it’s way to getting finalized for UFC 219 at the end of 2017 but before the bout agreements could be signed, Pennington got into a nasty car crash that obviously put her first career title shot on hold.

Pennington has since stated that a May return would be most likely for her. Damon Martin reports that the discussions have fired back up to get this 135-pound title fight back in place.

Sources say Amanda Nunes vs. Raquel Pennington is being discussed currently…haven't heard a date but I'd assume UFC 224 in Brazil would be a likely landing spot. #UFC

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) February 7, 2018

Sources say Amanda Nunes vs. Raquel Pennington is being discussed currently…haven’t heard a date but I’d assume UFC 224 in Brazil would be a likely landing spot.

UFC 224 is scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 12. Which is perfect for Pennington’s timeline.

It’s been a good while since we last saw The Ultimate Fighter season 18 contestant in action. She last fought at UFC 205 in November of 2016 when she defeated the former champion, Miesha Tate by unanimous decision. This fight ended up being Tate’s last and would extend Pennington’s current win-streak to four.

The champion, Nunes had been looking for a fight with the featherweight champion, Cris Cyborg after Cyborg’s recent win over Holly Holm at UFC 219. That matchup appeared to be in the discussion as well for possibly UFC 224 or UFC 226 but today it was announced that Cyborg will be defending her title against the Invicta FC bantamweight champion, Yana Kunitskaya at UFC 222.

With Cyborg out of the immediate possibilities for Nunes, it isn’t crazy to imagine her vs Pennington being the next fight at the top of 135. Valentina Shevchenko has since left the division going down to Flyweight while other contenders like Holly Holm and Julianna Pena are coming off of losses. The next best possible option would be the rising contender, Ketlen Vieira who takes on Cat Zingano at UFC 222.

What are your thoughts on this possible title fight?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 2/7/2018.