Thoughts on UFC 224: Nunes v. Pennington
This is a very odd title fight, or at least the circumstances surrounding it. Amanda Nunes hasn’t fought in what seems like forever, and that last fight certainly did not indicate that Nunes was the clear cut king (or queen, I guess) of the bantamweight division. When the fight wasn’t putting me to sleep, I had it scored for Shevchenko, as did many others. Now, this isn’t to take anything away from Nunes, but we have to be realistic about her time with the belt. The woman she beat for the belt and first defended it against are both no longer fighting. Then, as I mentioned before, she beat Shevchenko in a fight many argued should have went to ‘Bullet Valentina’. I may seem like I’m being too harsh on the champion, but I truly do believe she is a worthy champion at 135. Relative to the other fighters in the division, she hits like a truck, and she is no slouch on the ground either. Right now, with Shevchenko pursuing the flyweight belt, I don’t see any immediate threats to Nunes in the division. Yes, that includes Holly Holm. A name to look out for though is Ketlen Vieira, which could eventually lead to some Brazilian on Brazilian action in the future.
As for the challenger on Saturday, Raquel Pennington, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that I think she stands no chance on Saturday. She’s one of those fighters that gets the labels, “scrappy”, “gritty”, and “a tough out for anyone”. These labels typically mean the fighter is less technical and gets their wins when they can lure their opponent into a brawl. This is an accurate description of Pennington, and her record reflects it. Now, when I said that it seems like Nunes hasn’t fought in forever, Pennington, really hasn’t in what seems like forever. You all vaguely remember the night Miesha Tate retired, right? Yeah, that’s when Pennington last fought ( I believe Pennington broke her leg in an accident some time after the fight). Speaking of Miesha Tate, Pennington’s competition during her win streak isn’t really much to boast about. She’s beaten Jessica Andrade, who’s now fighting in a division 20 pounds lighter. Then it was Bethe Correia (can), Elizabeth Phillips (who?), and then an already on her way out Miesha Tate. I’m sure Pennington has improved her game during her extended absence, but not nearly enough to be on the level of Nunes. Plus, her level of competition has done her no favors as well; she will be facing a completely different animal on Saturday.
For whatever reason, and you can agree or disagree, this title fight just seems a bit weird to me. Mostly because of the circumstances leading up to it. This fight can be exciting, but a lot would have to go Pennington’s way. Nunes has a clear advantage on the feet, and both fighters know it. If Pennington can clip her though, and Nunes throws all technique out the window, then boom, exciting fight. However, I don’t anticipate this happening. I anticipate Pennington trying to get Nunes against the cage early and often, and work for takedowns and control throughout the fight. What will happen, is that Nunes’ control of the distance will be too strong and Pennington will have trouble getting inside. Nunes keeps the belt in convincing fashion.
Nunes via TKO, Round 2