Raquel Pennington vs Julianna Peña at UFC 307 | Preview & Prediction
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In a fight that has been years in the making, Raquel Pennington puts here bantamweight title on the line against long-time rival and former champion Julianna Pena at UFC 307
RAQUEL PENNINGTON VS JULIANNA PEÑA FACTS
When is UFC 307? UK – the extra preliminary card starts at 11:00pm on Saturday October 5th, 2024, followed by the preliminary card at 1:00am and the main card at 3:00am / USA – 6:00pm/8:00pm/10:00pm ET and 3:00pm/5:00pm/7:00pm PT
What time are Raquel Pennington and Julianna Pena expected to walk out? The approximate walk out time for this fight is 4:45am UK, 11:45pm ET, 8:45pm PT
Where is UFC 307? Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Where can I get tickets for UFC 307? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 307
What TV channel is UFC 307 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC 307? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+, while the early prelims can be streamed on UFC Fight Pass / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC 307 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
UFC 307 MAIN CARD EVENT
Alex Pereira vs Khalil Rountree Jr. (Light Heavyweight)
Raquel Pennington vs Julianna Peña (Women’s Bantamweight)
José Aldo vs Mario Bautista (Bantamweight)
Ketlen Vieira vs Kayla Harrison (Women’s Bantamweight)
Roman Dolidze vs Kevin Holland (Middleweight)
UFC 307 Prelims
Stephen Thompson vs Joaquin Buckley (Welterweight)
Marina Rodriguez vs Iasmin Lucindo (Women’s Strawweight)
César Almeida vs Ihor Potieria (Middleweight)
Austin Hubbard vs Alexander Hernandez (Lightweight)
Ryan Spann vs Ovince Saint Preux (Light Heavyweight)
Carla Esparza vs Tecia Pennington (Women’s Strawweight)
Court McGee vs Tim Means (Welterweight)
RAQUEL PENNINGTON: CHAMPION AIMS TO DEFEND AGAINST LONG-TERM RIVAL
The UFC women’s bantamweight title is on the line as champion Raquel Pennington (16-8) aims to defend her belt against Julianna Pena. It is surprising the pair have never met before now having come through into the UFC at the same time but they finally get the chance to fight at UFC 307.
Pennington has grafted her way to the top in the last few years and has reeled off six successive wins to claim the belt. She has arguably benefitted from timing when a number of big names like Amanda Nunes have departed but that should take nothing away from the focus and dedication she has put in to get to this stage.
She won the vacant title in January as she won a unanimous decision against Mayra Bueno Silva and she now looks to defend it for the first time.
JULIANNA PEÑA: GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR PENA TO REGAIN BANTAMWEIGHT BELT
Julianna Pena (11-5) returns to UFC action after over two years out since she last fought. That bout was at UFC 277 in July 2022 when she lost a unanimous decision in her rematch with Amanda Nunes who reclaimed the bantamweight belt from Pena. A trilogy bout was lined up for June 2023 at UFC 289 but Pena broke her ribs in training and the fight was lost. Pena now returns and comes straight in for a title shot so she will have to shake off any rust right away.
RAQUEL PENNINGTON VS JULIANNA PEÑA PREDICTION
There has been plenty of tension in the build-up to this fight with a clear dislike existing between the two fighters.
Julianna Pena has not been shy in the build-up to this fight showing her dislike for Pennington in a difficult relationship that dates back almost 11 years. The pair were in the same house during The Ultimate Fighter when Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate were coaches in 2013.
For Pennington’s part, she clearly struggles to avoid showing her dislike for Pena who is just a different character to her.
That will all just heighten the tension and the spice around this fight and it promises to be an exciting battle over five rounds. Coming straight into a five-round for Pena will be a tough ask against somebody with the momentum that Pennington has.
Whether Pena can hit the ground running remains to be seen but her best route to victory will likely be the stoppage and that will not be easy against Pennington who has only been stopped twice in 24 fights.
We are struggling to see past the time away from the Octagon for Pena and how that cannot be ideal preparation for a fight of this magnitude. There is no tune-up fight for her and it is hard to replicate that time in the Octagon. For that reason, we marginally lean towards Pennington to have enough stamina and be good enough technically to avoid any threat Pena can pose and to outwork her to win the decision.
PREDICTION: RAQUEL PENNINGTON TO WIN
