The UFC has tapped a rematch from a 2019 fight to headline their upcoming Fight Night in San Antonio. ESPN Deportes reported earlier today that top bantamweight contenders Irene Aldana (14-6) and Raquel Pennington (15-8) will fight once again in March.
The report stated that these two will headline the March 25th Fight Night. Personally, I’m shocked that this was the choice for the main event. Typically, the promotion tries to stack Fight Nights that have fans with big time headliners. This certainly doesn’t move the needle.
That said, it’s still an important fight with title implications. There were rumors that Aldana would be fighting Amanda Nunes for the title in March. However, there were not serious legs with that rumor and now we know the UFC is not going in that direction.
UFC San Antonio
When these two first fought in 2019, Pennington won in an uneventful split decision. Entering this headliner in March, Pennington is riding a five-fight winning streak. She is 6-1 in her last seven fights with the lone loss coming against former champion Holly Holm.
Pennington and Aldana both have stated their case for a title shot. However, the UFC isn’t ready to put either in that spot as of now which is why the two will be fighting each other.
Like Pennington, Aldana has had a very impressive recent stretch. She is 4-1 in her last five fights. Like Pennington, the lone loss came in a lopsided loss to former champion Holly Holm. Last time we saw Aldana was against Macy Chiasson when she scored a come from behind TKO win in the third round.