Raquel Pennington became the new UFC women’s bantamweight champion after defeating Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 287, with her first title defense expected to be against Julianna Pena, amid concerns about the future of the division due to a lack of clear contenders or rising stars.
Raquel Pennington’s reign as the new UFC women’s bantamweight champion began with a hard-fought victory over Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 287. Looks like her first title defense is gonna be against Julianna Pena, later this year.
Pena’s got a win over Amanda Nunes, who some say is the greatest women’s fighter of all time. But she hasn’t stepped into the ring since 2022. Her record? A mixed bag, 3-2 in her last five fights. And here’s the kicker: she hasn’t actually beaten anyone on the current, active UFC roster.
Looking at the UFC rankings, there are only two fighters under 30 competing at 135 pounds. Karol Rosa and Chelsea Chandler. Their combined UFC record? A not-so-impressive 7-4. And both are coming off losses.
Remember when women’s bantamweight was the division to watch? Stars like Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, and Miesha Tate all competed there. Now, it’s a shadow of its former self. UFC analyst Alan Jouban is worried about the future of the division.
Jouban recalls a time when the men’s light heavyweight division was a mess. Jon Jones left, Daniel Cormier moved up, and it was a revolving door of new champs. The division was in chaos. No clear contender or superstar. Then Alex Pereira came in and took the gold. Now, he sees the same thing happening in the women’s bantamweight division.
Jouban thinks Pena is the biggest draw at 135 pounds. But is she the best? Not so sure, especially after her one-sided loss to Nunes in 2022.
Jouban’s words: “When you look at the top 15 in that division, the biggest star is Julianna Pena because she can talk it. She’s tough. But a champion needs more than toughness and trash talk. She shocked the world when she beat Amanda Nunes, but the rematch was a 25-minute beatdown.”
Apart from Pena, Jouban doesn’t see anyone else who could be a true No. 1 contender or a promising prospect.
The overall roster at 135 pounds? Not looking great. Jouban says: “I look deep down and I’m trying to find some spark, some glimmer of hope. Who’s on there? Holly Holm is No. 6. Irene Aldana had a shot. Ketlen Vieira, Bueno Silva, there’s nobody on there. Miesha Tate’s in the top 15, love Miesha, but her time has came and passed. The division is in shambles.”
The other two women’s divisions in the UFC have seen growth or at least the emergence of legitimate contenders. Flyweight has become the best division for women in the UFC. Strawweight has potential future champions like Tatiana Suarez, Amanda Lemos, Loopy Godinez, and Gillian Robertson.
But bantamweight? The UFC’s own website lists 72 fighters at 135 pounds, including retired fighters like Shayna Baszler, Bethe Correia, and Sarah Kaufman. Even Gina Carano, who never fought in the UFC and hasn’t fought since 2009, is listed.
Jouban says: “We’re going to have to figure this out. I don’t think the fans are going to be happy with some of the title fights or main events that we’re going to be getting. Chelsea Chandler is No. 15. She’s 5-2. She’s got seven professional fights under her belt and she’s No. 15 in the world. Then a lot of the girls above her, they only have 10 or 11 fights.”
Julianna Pena’s the only one who can sell a fight worth watching. But even if Amanda Nunes comes out of retirement, that doesn’t fix the division. Jouban says: “Bantamweight division, we’ve got some work to do. We need some new stars to emerge very soon in the UFC.”
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