Mayra Bueno Silva to Fight Raquel Pennington for Vacant UFC Women’s Bantamweight Title

Mayra Bueno Silva will be vying for her first UFC title.

The 32-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist will fight Raquel Pennington for the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 297 on January 20 in Toronto, according to ESPN.

Mayra Bueno SilvaThe title was vacated by Amanda Nunes, regarded as the greatest women’s MMA fighter of all time, in June when she retired following a win over Irene Aldana at UFC 289.

Bueno Silva (10-2-1, 1 NC) is unbeaten in four straight fights.

She stopped Holly Holm via submission in July, but the bout was overturned to a no contest and Bueno Silva was suspended 4½ months due to a failed drug test for a prescribed (but undisclosed) ADHD medication.

Bueno Silva, 32, is tied with Ronda Rousey for most submissions in division history (3).

Pennington (15-8) has won five straight. The Colorado native is coming off a split decision win over Ketlen Vieira in January.

Pennington, 35, has the second-most wins in division history (11) and is ESPN’s No. 1-ranked women’s bantamweight fighter.

The Pennington-Bueno Silva fight was first reported by Brazilian outlet AG Fight.

Irene Aldana to Fight Raquel Pennington in Rematch at UFC Fight Night in May

Irene Aldana is readying for a rematch…

The 35-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist will meet Raquel Pennington in a rematch on May 20 in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas, with the next UFC women’s bantamweight No. 1 contender likely to be decided with that fight.

Irene AldanaAldana and Pennington fought in July 2019, with Pennington winning a split decision.

ESPN has Pennington ranked No. 3 and Aldana ranked No. 6 in the world at women’s bantamweight.

The champion in that weight class, Amanda Nunes, will defend her title in a trilogy fight with Julianna Peña at UFC 289 on June 10 in Vancouver.

The Pennington vs. Aldana winner will likely fight the victor in that bout.

Pennington (15-8) has won five straight. The Colorado native has not lost since a 2020 bout with former champ Holly Holm. Pennington, 34, has the most bouts in UFC women’s bantamweight history (16).

Aldana (14-6) has won two in a row and four of her past five. The Mexican-born fighter is coming off a knockout of Macy Chiasson at UFC 279 in September.

Aldana has won seven of her past nine fights overall.