It’s true: there have been six women that have worn the strawweight title — Dern, Zhang Weili, Esparza, Namajunas, Jessica Andrade, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk — and Pennington is the lone fighter in the division who has shared the Octagon with all of them. Though her only triumph came against Esparza in the two-time champion’s farewell appearance at UFC 307, she went the distance in each contest, pushing the former or future champions hard for 15 minutes each time, further exhibiting her undeniable abilities and standing as one of the best in the weight class.
That still holds true now, and while her competitive battle with the new champion Dern at UFC 273 could serve as a motivator and catalyst for another push towards the top of the division, Pennington is admittedly conflicted, as opportunities to compete haven’t come as readily as she would like, prompting her to think long and hard about what comes next after this weekend.
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“I wish I fought more often,” she admitted when asked about Dern’s title win, given the competitive nature of their previous meeting. “I wish I got three in a year instead of two because when you take six to eight months off, that’s a long time off for somebody who is 36, and I’m wanting to go to my next chapter and continue to grow my family.
“After a win this weekend, I would definitely want a fight within two months, and if I didn’t get it, I would probably try to continue to move on with growing my family in the meantime. It’s not gonna happen overnight, and I would still take a fight if it didn’t happen, but ideally, I’d like to win and have a fight within eight weeks, provided I don’t have any injuries or anything like that. But this six or eight months is a long time to wait.”
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