Raquel Pennington built her reputation on grit, craft and unshakeable determination.
The well-traveled 33-year-old will tackle Aspen Ladd in a sneaky showdown between Top 10 contenders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight division atop the UFC 273 undercard on Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Pennington enters the cage on the strength of a three-fight winning streak. She has not taken a step back since she lost a unanimous decision to Holly Holm in their UFC 246 rematch more than two years ago.
In advance of Pennington’s forthcoming battle with Ladd at 135 pounds, here are five things you might not know about her: