Raquel
Pennington will face Pannie
Kianzad at an Ultimate Fighting Championship
event on Sept. 18.
Both fighters confirmed the bantamweight bout on social media
following an initial report from
Frontkick.online. UFC Fight Night takes place at an as yet to
be announced location and is headlined by a light heavyweight clash
pitting Anthony
Smith against Ryan
Spann.
A former 135-pound title challenger, Pennington last competed at
UFC on ESPN 11, where she outpointed Marion
Reneau in June 2020. “Rocky” recently completed a six-month
USADA suspension in May after she
tested positive for a banned substance found in medicine she
was prescribed for a medical condition. Pennington’s resume
includes triumphs over the likes of Irene
Aldana, Miesha Tate,
Jessica
Andrade and Roxanne
Modafferi.
Kianzad, meanwhile, enters the matchup with Pennington on a
four-bout winning streak within the Las Vegas-based promotion. In
her first appearance of 2021, “Banzai” outpointed Alexis
Davis at UFC 263. The Invicta FC and Cage Warriors veteran also
owns decision triumphs over Sijara
Eubanks, Bethe
Correia and Jessica-Rose
Clark during her current run.