Dana White confirmed yesterday that the UFC 289: Amanda Nunes vs Irene Aldana will have a backup fighter. The UFC President revealed that Raquel Pennington will be the backup if any of the bantamweight fighters competing in the main event back out from their upcoming title bout.
It is needless to say that the promotion is taking a lot of measures after Julianna Pena had to withdraw from the highly awaited rematch against Amanda Nunes due to a rib injury. Dana White made this announcement of a backup for the UFC 289 main event while having a conversation with The Schmo.
Backup for Main Event Title Fight #UFC289 https://t.co/H8JcINTk63 pic.twitter.com/Z8LuAgA144
— The Schmo (@TheSchmo312) May 5, 2023
“No, so what we are doing now, first of all, love the Irene Aldana fight, again for us to move so quickly and get another fight in there, press conference tomorrow and she’ll be here. Raquel Pennington will be the backup on that card, she’ll train, cut and make weight and if anything happens to either one of the girls, she’ll step in,” stated the UFC head honcho.
Did the promotion make the right choice by announcing Raquel Pennington as the backup for the UFC 289: Nunes vs Aldana fight?
The decision to place Raquel Pennington as a backup fighter seems perfect as the women’s bantamweight contender is on a brilliant winning run. Pennington last fought in January 2023 against Ketlen Vieira. She edged past Vieira in what was a razor-close contest to extend her streak to five consecutive wins.
Currently, Raquel Pennington is #3 in the bantamweight division and many might argue that she should be the one fighting for the gold at UFC 289. Besides, Rocky was unlucky as she was supposed to fight Irene Aldana on May 20th and the bout had to be canceled as the latter stepped in to replace Julianna Pena for the UFC 289 PPV.
However, this announcement raises question marks as to who will headline the May 20th UFC Fight Night card as both the women’s bantamweight fighters will be competing In the UFC 289 PPV.
Do let us know in the comments section below if you agree with the UFC making Raquel Pennington a backup fighter for UFC 289.
