Raquel Pennington looked to be in line for a UFC women’s bantamweight title shot opposite Amanda Nunes in late December but UFC brass will be forced to put those plans on hold after Pennington sustained a broken leg while on a recent hunting trip, according to a report from Combate.
Pennington has won four straight bouts in the women’s 135-pound division, including victories against Jessica Andrade, Bethe Correia and Miesha Tate, to place her high on the list of contenders to be the next opponent for Amanda Nunes. News of her injury comes after she missed the entirety of 2017 with a shoulder complaint.
The fourth ranked Pennington is the only fighter towards the summit of the contender list to be in the midst of a winning streak, with #3 ranked Juliana Pena taking time out of the sport due to pregnancy.
Holly Holm, ranked #2, is expected to challenge Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino for the 145-pound title.
Valentina Shevchenko, who is ranked as the #1 contender, lost a split decision to Nunes when they met at UFC 215 in September.
The identity of the next contender at 135-pounds has yet to be revealed but it’s likely that 6th ranked Cat Zingano will be in the mix. Zingano holds a win over Nunes from their first meeting in September 2014 — though hasn’t won a bout since that particular contest.
