An air of uncertainty looms over the women’s bantamweight division ahead of UFC 307 this coming weekend. Raquel Pennington is set to make the first defence of the belt she laid claim to by beating Mayra Bueno Silva last January, although the uninspiring nature of that performance means she has yet to convince fans she is worthy of wearing the crown previously adorned by such greats as Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes.
Pennington’s belt lay vacant and up for grabs after Amanda Nunes laid down her gloves inside the Octagon in June of 2023.