SUMMARY
- Raquel Pennington earned the UFC Women's Bantamweight title at UFC 297 by defeating Mayra Bueno Silva.
- Pennington left behind Amanda Nunes, Holly Holm, and Cris Cyborg with her massive win.
After spending almost a decade in the UFC, Raquel Pennington finally has her hands on UFC gold. She is the new UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion after getting the better of Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297. While achieving the title, Pennington also created history by becoming the oldest female UFC champion.
#AndNew bantamweight champion @RockyPMMA 🎉
[ B2YB @JoseCuervo | #UFC297 ] pic.twitter.com/Yq640LDpNC
— UFC (@ufc) January 21, 2024
Pennington fought for the title in May 2018 at UFC 224 as a challenger against champion Amanda Nunes. The American faced a TKO defeat in the fifth round. Since that failure, she has been trying to climb the bantamweight ladder again for another shot. After amassing a five-win streak (one at featherweight), Pennington got her big break. She got a title shot against Silva for the vacant championship left by Nunes.
Raquel Pennington defeats Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297 to become the oldest female UFC champion
Pennington was born on September 5, 1988. UFC 297, taking place on January 20, 2024, sees Pennington at the age of 35 years, 4 months and 5 days.
Silva achieved a takedown in the first round and arguably dominated the round. Pennington stayed defensive as Silva chipped in with punches. Pennington came back stronger in the second and landed some good punches to earn an advantage. The back-and-forths continued in the next rounds but Pennington laid her claim on the title much stronger.
“I have climbed mountains to get back here.”
It’s been 5 years since @RockyPMMA had her shot at a title fight. #UFC297 pic.twitter.com/wWHAW0y1BX
— UFC (@ufc) January 21, 2024
In the final round, Silva needed a finish to earn the win. However, she seemingly gave up in the final minute and laid down while Pennington tried to land some strikes. As the match ended, the women embraced each other and everyone in the arena knew who was going to take home gold tonight. The final scorecard read 49-46, 49-46, and 49-45 in favor of Pennington. ‘Rocky’ became a champion at the age of 35 years, 4 months and 5 days.
Amanda Nunes, Holly Holm, and Cris Cyborg’s oldest age as champions
Brazilian fighter Cris Cyborg won the UFC Women’s Featherweight title at UFC 214 against Tonya Evinger. She defended her title twice before losing it to Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 on December 29, 2018. Cyborg, born on July 9, 1985, was less than 34 years old when she was a UFC champion at her oldest. However, at the age of 38 now, she still holds the Bellator Women’s Featherweight title.
Holly Holm, born on October 17, 1981, was last champion when she surprised the world and defeated Ronda Rousey at UFC 193. Months later, at UFC 196, on March 5, 2016, she lost the title to Meisha Tate. Holm was just over 34 years of age when she was a champion at her oldest.
Amanda Nunes retires as a double champ and off a dominate win!
LEGEND #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/QhujmVlOH8
— CrispyWrestling (@CrispyWrestlin) June 11, 2023
Nunes, born on May 30, 1988, is considered one of the greatest female MMA fighters. During her retirement in June 2023, Nunes held the UFC Women’s Featherweight and Bantamweight titles. She vacated both titles on June 20, 2023. She was 35 years and 21 days old when she was a champion at her oldest.