UFC: Mayra Bueno Silva vs Raquel Pennington UFC 297 betting details and preview

The goat of the women’s divisions retired after a unanimous decision victory at UFC 289. With Amanda Nunes no longer competing, the UFC needs a new women’s bantamweight champion. Two of the top three ranked women in the division will fight for the vacant title in Toronto. This will be a matchup featuring two very different styles.

Fight And Betting Details

Mayra Bueno Silva will fight Raquel Pennington for the UFC’s vacant bantamweight championship at UFC 297 in Toronto on January 20. This is the co-main event. Bueno Silva is the slight betting favourite heading into this bout on UFC betting sites. She has -170 odds to win on Bodog. Pennington is the underdog at the moment. She has +139 odds to win the title. These are two of the top three ranked female bantamweights in the UFC. Bueno Silva is the number three ranked bantamweight. Pennington is ranked at number two.

Raquel “Rocky” Pennington

On top of being the number two ranked women’s bantamweight, Raquel Pennington is the 12th ranked woman on the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. Pennington has a 15-9 professional MMA record. But she has just three losses in the UFC since 2016. She lost to Amanda Nunes and Germaine de Randamie in 2016, and lost to Holly Holm in early 2020. She is on a five-fight winning streak since that loss to Holm. On paper, this bout should be another tough fight for Pennington. Pennington throughout her time in the UFC has consistently won fights by pinning her opponents on the cage or on the mat. She is known for her ability to clinch, wrestle, and smother her opponents in the octagon.

One of the biggest concerns if you are considering backing Pennington here is Bueno Silva’s submissions. If Pennington chooses to clinch or wrestle with Bueno Silva throughout the fight, there should be plenty of opportunities for Bueno Silva to attempt submissions. Pennington has not been submitted during her time with the UFC, but Bueno Silva has five submission victories in the UFC. Pennington has shown the ability to stand and strike over her last few fights, so she definitely has a shot at winning this fight with her striking if this fight stays on the feet. Number three ranked flyweight Manon Fiorot dismantled Bueno Silva with her striking. If Pennington can strike even near as well as that in this fight and avoid Bueno Silva’s submissions, she should win this fight.

Mayra “Sheetara” Bueno Silva

Mayra Bueno Silva is the definition of a submission artist. She has six wins in the UFC. She won five of those fights via submission. Bueno Silva has a 10-2-1 professional MMA record. Bueno Silva’s recent submission victory over Holly Holm was overturned and ruled a no contest. This is Bueno Silva’s first fight since then. Bueno Silva has a couple of tools that can help her win this fight. She can pull off submissions and has shown the ability to take opponents down with wrestling. Pennington has been taken down multiple times throughout her UFC career and has only one submission victory in the UFC since 2016.

If Bueno Silva can take her down and control the fight instead of being taken down or pinned on the cage, she will have a good shot in this fight. Both fighters are willing to trade strikes, but they have also been bested on the feet by better strikers. One of the biggest concerns in this fight if you are considering betting on Bueno Silva is whether or not she can defend Pennington’s clinch offense and stop her opponent from controlling this fight. If Bueno Silva can not submit Pennington and is constantly on her back throughout the night, her chances of winning this fight are slim. She has no KO/TKO victories in the UFC and one decision victory.

Rest Of The UFC 297 Card