Kamaru Usman recently shared his thoughts on the Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña championship fight at UFC 307.
Pennington is gearing up to make her first defense of the UFC women's bantamweight title against former champion Peña. The bout is set to co-headline the highly anticipated pay-per-view event this weekend at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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"Rocky" delivered a commanding performance at UFC 297 this past January, decisively defeating Mayra Bueno Silva to capture the vacant 135-pound title. The belt had been left up for grabs after former two-division champion Amanda Nunes retired following her one-sided rematch victory over Peña at UFC 277 in July 2022.
Meanwhile, "The Venezuelan Vixen" is set to make her long-awaited return to the Octagon after a two-year absence. Peña made UFC history as the only woman to defeat Nunes, submitting 'The Lioness' at UFC 269 in December 2021. However, her reign was short-lived, with Nunes reclaiming the bantamweight crown just seven months later.
Usman Predicts Peña Will Test Pennington But Favors 'Rocky' To Retain Her Title
During a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' weighed in on the Pennington vs. Peña title clash at UFC 307. Usman noted that the defending champion has appeared a bit lackluster in her previous outings, whereas the challenger possesses the resilience that could turn this into a very interesting contest.
I think Julianna Peña is a complete dog," Usman said. "But I just think Raquel Pennington is a little bit too solid. She does have a couple of fights where she comes in and looks like she doesn’t really want to be there sometimes, and I know that’s in the past. I’m hoping that stays in the past because Raquel Pennington, the bantamweight champion now, once you become that champion, you get that extra 'umph' behind you knowing that you are the best in the world.
The former UFC welterweight champion further expressed his confidence that "Rocky" will emerge as a more well-rounded fighter when facing the formidable Peña. Usman predicted that while "The Venezuelan Vixen" will undoubtedly present Pennington with one of her toughest challenges yet, the reigning champion will ultimately hold on to her title.
She's [Pennington] just a little too solid with her stand-up, with her Muay Thai, her knees—just really solid there in the clinch. Because I'm telling you right now, Julianna Peña does really good work there... Raquel Pennington has shown that she can be good in those types of positions, so I'm gonna have to go with Raquel Pennington here, even though Julianna Peña is a complete dog, and I wouldn't be surprised if she comes in and pulls off that upset.