Holly Holm and Raquel Pennington will have another go inside the Octagon.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reports that Holm vs. Pennington II will take place on Oct. 5 at UFC 243. This event is being held inside Marvel Stadium, the site of Holm’s upset knockout victory over Ronda Rousey back in Nov. 2015. At the time, the venue was called Etihad Stadium.
Holm and Pennington first did battle back in Feb. 2015. “The Preacher’s Daughter” earned a split decision victory over “Rocky.” Since that fight Holm has gone 4-5, snagging UFC gold along the way. Pennington has gone 5-2 since that time, but failed to capture the women’s bantamweight title from Amanda Nunes back in May 2018.
In her last bout, Holm was stopped by Nunes via head kick and followup punches. After the fight, UFC president Dana White hinted at wanting Holm to consider retiring. With her next bout set, it’s possible that the 37-year-old competes with a sense of urgency.
As for Pennington, this is her chance to get back into title contention. After dropping a unanimous decision to Germaine de Randamie, “Rocky” bounced back to take the split nod over Irene Aldana. She is the sixth-ranked UFC women’s bantamweight, while Holm sits at the number three spot.
