Outside Source
Raquel Pennington announced on Instagram on Wednesday night that a lingering neck injury has forced her out of Noche UFC, also known as UFC Fight Night 259, on Sept. 13. The former bantamweight queen was scheduled to take on Norma Dumont at this second annual celebration of Mexican Independence Day for the promotion, with the two expected to tangle at the Frost Bank Center of San Antonio. The promotion has not yet stated whether Dumont will be found a replacement opponent for this event, if the bout will be rescheduled later or if she will be bumped to a later show against a different opponent.
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“Rocky” last set foot in the cage in late 2024, where she put her 135-pound crown on the line against Julianna Pena, in a meeting of two members from Team Tate on Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Snapping a six-fight win streak, Pennington dropped a split decision to Pena where virtually every scoring media member had it for the former.
Since losing a split verdict to Macy Chiasson in 2022—this came in a catchweight of 147 pounds after she missed weight—Dumont has not looked back. Relocating to bantamweight in April 2024, she rattled off a pair of decision victories over Germaine de Randamie and Irene Aldana to kick her win streak to five while putting her in top contendership position.
Pennington Withdraws From Bout for First Time in UFC Career
This will serve as the first time that the 36-year-old has been forced out of a matchup as a member of the UFC roster. Opponents like Holly Holm and Liz Carmouche have been ejected from their pairings with the ex-champ in the past, but she had never succumbed an injury or illness to make her change her appearance date. “Rocky” put out a statement on Instagram announcing this news and apologizing to everyone for having to sit this one out.
“This one’s hard to say,” Pennington wrote. “I’ve been with the UFC for 12 years, 26 fights, and I’ve never had to pull out of a fight. I’ve been dealing with a neck injury for a while now. My last fight camp, I had a procedure in September just to get through it and step in that Octagon the beginning of October. The camp…it’s just been one thing after another.”
She continued, “I’m a competitor through and through, but I also have to take care of my health if I want to keep doing this the right way. So…yeah, I’m gutted to say I have to withdraw from this fight. Apologies to the fans, the UFC and my opponent Norma Dumont I’ll be back, and I still would love to share that Octagon with Norma when the time’s right. I’m hoping she gets a replacement opponent and her opportunity to compete isn’t stripped.
“Thank you to everyone who rides with me through the highs and the lows. It means more than you know. Setbacks don’t break me—they build me.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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