What Is Next For Amanda Nunes And Raquel Pennington?
The UFC 224 showdown between Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington had some good moments and a few uneven ones. MMA fans got to see Amanda Nunes get pressured for a couple of rounds. What she deserved, however, was a better finish.
Amanda Nunes got the finish over Raquel Pennington that she wanted. However, it took until the fifth round before she got it. And it was not without controversy.
As the fourth round came to a close, Raquel Pennington told her corner that she wanted to stop the fight (courtesy of the Washington Post). Her corner ignored her wishes, and she went out and got destroyed in the fifth round.
Amanda Nunes defeated Raquel Pennington via a fifth-round knockout (courtesy of UFC.com). It was Nunes’ third successful title defense, thus proving that she is not a fluke.
Nunes’ win over Pennington was not a thing of beauty. It was clear that the women’s bantamweight champion enjoyed a strength advantage over her challenger. However, there were moments when Amanda Nunes could not engage.
When Nunes tried to strike first, she would get caught with a straight punch. Instead of panicking, she controlled the pace with a calf kick. It kept Raquel Pennington off balance the entire fight.
The calf kick was a new addition to Amanda Nunes’ offense. It will give her a needed advantage going forward.
.@Amanda_Leoa finishes Raquel Pennington with a vicious fifth-round flurry to retain the UFC women’s bantamweight title. #UFC224 (@allelbows) pic.twitter.com/fca895xlXl
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) May 13, 2018
Questions cloud the aftermath of the UFC 224 main event. Everyone is wondering what is next for each competitor. Who does Amanda Nunes fight next and does Raquel Pennington ever fight again?
The latter is due to how the fight ended. The biggest controversy of the night had to do with Raquel Pennington and her corner.
Raquel Pennington had an inkling that her opportunity to wrest the title from Nunes was slipping. She wanted to live to fight another day. She was humiliated instead. If Raquel Pennington does fight again, it may be with another team.
In the case of Amanda Nunes, there is a potentially huge fight on the horizon with Cris Cyborg. Barring injury, the bout will likely take place at the end of the year in the Women’s Featherweight division.
With her destruction of Raquel Pennington, who is a powerful fighter, many believe that Amanda Nunes is one of the only women who can challenge Cris Cyborg. That will be a fight everyone will want to see. Fans will also want to see what happens to Pennington as well.
