Latest news with #RaquelPennington
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Booty battle?!?!? Ailin Perez calls out Norma Dumont after ‘Rocky' bails on Noche UFC 3, gets blocked immediately
'Twerk Queen' vs. Dump Truck? Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington's comeback fight is off the table for Noche UFC 3 (Sat., Sept. 13, 2025), as 'Rocky' has withdrawn from her scrap against top-ranked contender, Norma Dumont, due to injury. Pennington broke the news on Instagram with a gut-punch statement: 'This one's hard to say…I've been with the UFC for 12 years, 26 fights, and I've never had to pull out of a fight.I've been dealing with a neck injury for a while now. My last fight camp, I had a procedure in September just to get through it and step in that Octagon the beginning of October. This camp… it's just been one thing after another.I'm a competitor through and through, but I also have to take care of my health if I want to keep doing this the right yeah… I'm gutted to say I have to withdraw from this fight. Apologies to the fans, @ufc and my opponent @norma_dumont_mma I'll be back, and I still would love to share that Octagon with Norma when the time's right. I'm hoping she gets a replacement opponent and her opportunity to compete isn't you to everyone who rides with me through the highs and the lows. It means more than you know. ❤️Setbacks don't break me — they build me.' Mere minutes after the announcement, No. 7-ranked Bantamweight, Ailin Perez, pounced, throwing her name into the mix to face Dumont at UFC Rio, one month after Noche UFC 3 — a fight that she's been requesting. In a fiery video, Perez didn't hold back: 'Raquel Pennington is injured and out of the Norma fight. Now Norma won't face me at UFC Rio. What's the deal, Norma? You don't want to go five rounds with me in Brazil? Scared of a booty battle?' Dumont, apparently not amused, hit the block button on Perez's social media, to which 'Fiona' fired back. 'Norma Dumont blocked me and has not made a response yet 🤣 No one who wants to fight you has a better ranking than me, what is your excuse now?' Perez wrote. 'We have the same record and same win streak. You are SCARED.' While Dumont was gunning for a marquee fight like the one with Pennington, a clash with Perez could be the next best thing. It's a spicy matchup with serious hype potential, especially with the Bantamweight division on hold until Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes settle their score. To checkout the latest UFC Noche 3 fight card and rumors click .
USA Today
07-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Raquel Pennington confirms withdrawal from Noche UFC fight vs. Norma Dumont
Raquel Pennington has pulled out of a fight for the first time in her UFC career. Pennington (16-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) has been forced out of her bantamweight bout against Norma Dumont (12-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 259, also known as Noche UFC, on Sept. 13 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas (ESPN+). The former UFC champion confirmed the news herself in a statement on Instagram after an initial report from Ag Fight. "This one's hard to say…I've been with the UFC for 12 years, 26 fights, and I've never had to pull out of a fight. I've been dealing with a neck injury for a while now. My last fight camp, I had a procedure in September just to get through it and step in that Octagon the beginning of October. This camp… it's just been one thing after another. I'm a competitor through and through, but I also have to take care of my health if I want to keep doing this the right way. So yeah… I'm gutted to say I have to withdraw from this fight. Apologies to the fans, @ufc and my opponent @norma_dumont_mma I'll be back, and I still would love to share that Octagon with Norma when the time's right. I'm hoping she gets a replacement opponent and her opportunity to compete isn't stripped. Thank you to everyone who rides with me through the highs and the lows. It means more than you know. ❤️ Setbacks don't break me — they build me." In her most recent outing this past October, Pennington lost the bantamweight title to Julianna Peña at UFC 307. Prior to the split decision loss – which only one of the nearly 30 pundits tracked by MMA Decisions scored for Peña – Pennington was on a six-fight winning streak, including wins over Mayra Bueno Silva, Ketlen Vieira, and Macy Chiasson. With the change, the UFC Fight Night 256 lineup includes:
