Women’s Featherweights
#8 WBW | Raquel Pennington (12-8, 9-5 UFC) vs. #10 WBW | Macy Chiasson (7-1, 5-1 UFC)Pennington keeps chugging along. For years, Pennington was a clear example of a prospect who was better than her record. She faced some tough opposition earlier in her career but still put in gutsy performance after gutsy performance, eventually rounding into a hard-nosed fighter capable of outlasting nearly everyone she encountered. After a few false starts, a 2016 win over Miesha Tate seemed to set up Pennington for true title contention, but that nearly ended in tragedy. Pennington missed all of 2017 after almost losing her leg in an ATV accident. Surprisingly, a title shot against Amanda Nunes was still waiting for Pennington upon her 2018 return, though that just led to a possibly career-altering beating that went on much too long before being stopped in the fifth round. After a flat performance against Germaine de Randamie, Pennington has essentially bounced back to be the same fighter she has always been, winning three out of her last four and lurking just outside of top contender status. She will face a late-notice replacement in Chiasson, who is looking for the biggest win of her young career. A former “Ultimate Fighter” winner at featherweight, Chiasson cuts an imposing frame at 135 pounds and ran through most of her opposition before running into Lina Lansberg, who took advantage of her offense-heavy approach and grinded out a victory. Chiasson does seem to be consciously managing her pace in her two fights since, though the results have been a mixed bag. Despite those efforts, Chiasson still tends to tire by the end of her fights, and her lanky frame makes for a tough balance between effective clinch work and easily being overpowered by her opponents. There is still time for Chiasson to channel her talents into something truly dangerous, which could well happen in this outing, but Pennington’s historical durability should allow her to survive any onslaught and grind out a win. The pick is Pennington via decision.
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