Raquel Pennington, preparing for her first UFC title defense, sees similarities between the hype surrounding Kayla Harrison and Holly Holm‘s debut, expressing frustration over Harrison’s rapid rise but is eager to face her to prove if the hype is real.
Raquel Pennington has seen this before. Back in 2015, Ronda Rousey was a massive UFC star, craving new competition.
Holly Holm made her UFC debut against Pennington after a storied boxing career. Despite the hype, Pennington took Holm to a split decision. Just nine months later, Holm demolished Rousey, proving the hype was real.
Now, as Pennington prepares for her first title defense at UFC 307, she sees a similar scenario unfolding. Kayla Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and big free-agent signing, is poised to become the No. 1 contender if she beats Ketlen Vieira on Saturday.
“I feel like Kayla is the new Holly,” Pennington told MMA Fighting. “Everybody’s on her hype train.”
Pennington recalls how other fighters had to build themselves up from scratch. Amanda Nunes faced constant criticism early in her career but eventually proved herself.
“You just have some athletes come in with all the hype and fans behind them,” Pennington said. “That’s what Kayla has.”
Pennington doesn’t hold any animosity towards Harrison but knows nothing was handed to her based on name value alone. That’s why she wasn’t thrilled about Harrison getting an immediate title shot after tearing through Holm at UFC 300.
“I’ve been in this sport for a really long time,” Pennington explained. “I’ve never been handed anything.”
It’s frustrating for Pennington to see athletes with huge hype get thrown to the top so quickly. She felt it wasn’t fair for Kayla to get a title shot right away.
Pennington preferred Julianna Peña for her first title defense due to their history. She gets her wish as she faces Peña in the UFC 307 co-main event, with Harrison just two spots behind on the card.
If Harrison wins, she’s almost certain to get a title shot next. Pennington is happy she won’t have to wait long for a new No. 1 contender after facing Peña.
As much as she wishes fighters had to earn their way to the top, Pennington is excited to face Harrison eventually. She even prepared for Harrison during her training camp, just in case Peña didn’t show up.
“Do I love the matchup between Kayla and Ketlen? Absolutely,” Pennington said. “Do I think it’s a No. 1 contender fight? I do.”
Pennington prepared for both possible opponents because of Peña’s injury history. She plans on winning her fight and then likely facing Harrison next.
Looking back at the bantamweight division’s history, there have been distinct eras with Rousey and then Nunes dominating. Now, Pennington is ready to establish a new standard with her first title defense.
She hopes to add Harrison’s name to the list of fighters she wasn’t supposed to beat. “Ronda had her journey, then Amanda cleared out everything,” Pennington said. “What can I do?”
With Kayla signed, aside from achieving her ultimate goal, Pennington has another challenge. She aims to shut down that hype train once and for all.