Tecia Pennington not done chasing UFC strawweight title: 'I have it in me'
Tecia Pennington not done chasing UFC strawweight title: 'I have it in me' Tecia Pennington sets her sight on the title following her win at Saturday's UFC Fight Night 256.
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Tecia Pennington makes emotional plea for ranked opponent after win
UFC Fight Night 256 winner Tecia Pennington talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight after her unanimous decision victory over Luana Pinheiro.
LAS VEGAS—Tecia Pennington has no intention of slowing down or even retiring anytime soon. She's looking to ramp things up.
Pennington (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC), a long-time contender who's been competing in the UFC since 2014, wants to make another run at the UFC strawweight belt. She knows her time is limited, but remains confident in her ability to climb the ladder once again.
"I'm 35, and I'm not getting younger," Pennington said at the UFC 256 post-fight interview. "I want to finish this sport with great wins, and I want to be one of the best in the world. I know I'm one of the best in the world, but I want to be in the top five again. At my best in the UFC, I think I was at No. 4 in the world. ... I have a few more runs at this. I have maybe two, three more years. In two or three more years, I can get really good wins. I can become champion. I have it in me and I want it really bad."
Pennington defeated Luana Pinheiro (11-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 256 – which took place at the UFC Apex. The victory put her on a two-fight winning streak, as she had defeated former champion Carla Esparza last October.
"Tiny Tornado" believes she's done enough to crack the top 10 of the division, and earn herself a big fight for her next outing.
"I hope it moves me up," Pennington said. "I got another win, and I'm ranked behind Angela Hill and I beat her twice in the UFC, so at least I have to punch in front of her even though this girl was ranked 15. Ideally, I'd like to be in the top 10. ... Look at my wins and look at my losses. Even in my losses, it's split decisions against champions. I'm the only fighter in this division that's fought every champion. Granted, I might've lost most of them, but I've beaten two champions – I beat Carla (Espearza) and I beat Rose (Namajunas). I've never been beaten up. (Zhang) Weili didn't beat me up. Joanna (Jedrzejczyk) didn't beat me up. Granted, I lost points, but I've never been finished in a fight. My durability, I'm a veteran, I have great wins under my belt, I belong in the top 10."
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