The UFC women’s bantamweight title will be up for grabs between Mayra Bueno Silva and Raquel Pennington at UFC 297 on January 20.
The inaugural UFC women’s division is set to crown a new champion with Mayra Bueno Silva and Raquel Pennington scheduled to go head-to-head on January 20 in a battle for the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 297. The matchup was confirmed on Friday, following an initial report by Ag. Fight.
Bueno Silva, with a professional record of 10-2-1, 1 NC, witnessed her most significant victory being nullified due to a failed drug test for ritalinic acid. The Nevada Athletic Commission overturned her second-round submission over Holly Holm into a no-contest. The substance in question, ritalinic acid, is a major urinary metabolite of methylphenidate, more commonly known as Ritalin, which is used to treat ADHD. Bueno Silva explained that the medication had been prescribed to her for the past three years.
Currently ranked as the top bantamweight by MMA Fighting, Bueno Silva has remained undefeated in the UFC since moving up to the 135-pound weight class in 2022. She has claimed victories over Wu Yanan, Stephanie Egger, and Lina Lansberg, in addition to her controversial result against Holm.
On the other side, Pennington enters this title challenge on a five-fight winning streak, defeating notable opponents such as Ketlen Vieira, Macy Chiasson, and Pannie Kianzad. With an overall record of 15-8, the 35-year-old veteran debuted in the UFC in 2013 after competing on The Ultimate Fighter 18. Despite a previous attempt at the bantamweight title ending in a fifth-round TKO loss to Amanda Nunes in May 2018, Pennington remains highly ranked by MMA Fighting, currently holding the third spot in the bantamweight division.
UFC 297 is scheduled to take place in Toronto, with the specific venue and main event yet to be announced. The anticipation around Bueno Silva and Pennington’s clash for the bantamweight title is sure to draw attention from MMA fans worldwide as they wait to see who will claim the coveted championship belt.