TORONTO - The UFC women's bantamweight division has a new queen.
Raquel Pennington defeated Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45) to capture the vacant 135-pound championship in the UFC 297 co-main event Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.
It was a grueling affair from start to finish, but Pennington mostly cruised in the last four rounds. She landed heavy shots on the feet, attacked with ground-and-pound, and attempted submissions throughout the fight to become the new champion.
Bueno Silva faded as the bout wore on after a strong Round 1. She nearly locked in a rear-naked choke in the fourth round, but Pennington escaped. Pennington dominated the fifth round with grappling to seal the victory.
Pennington-Bueno Silva was booked following the retirement of former two-division champion Amanda Nunes, who walked away from mixed martial arts and vacated her belts after a dominant win over Irene Aldana at UFC 289 last June.
Pennington is now riding a six-fight winning streak and hasn't lost since January 2020. "Rocky" expressed interest in a title defense against former champion Julianna Pena.
Bueno Silva saw her four-fight unbeaten streak come to an end. The Brazilian suffered her first UFC defeat at 135 pounds.
