Skip to content

Aldana, Pennington to headline UFC card in May

Icon Sportswire / Getty

Women's bantamweight contenders Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington will headline the May 20 UFC Fight Night event at the Apex in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Tuesday.

The two combatants previously met in 2019, with Pennington pulling out the victory via split decision.

Pennington will come into the rematch riding a fight-five winning streak, which includes a split-decision nod over Ketlen Vieira at the first UFC event of 2023 on Jan. 14.

Aldana, meanwhile, has won two straight, with finishes of Macy Chiasson and Yana Santos (formerly known as Yana Kunitskaya). She was reportedly in talks to challenge Nunes for the belt in March, but the fight didn't materialize. Nunes is booked to defend the 135-pound championship against Julianna Pena in the UFC 289 headliner in June.

Both fighters' most recent defeats came against former champion Holly Holm in 2020. Pennington is ranked No. 2 in the division, while Aldana sits fifth.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox