Raquel
Pennington built her reputation on grit, craft and unshakeable
determination.
The well-traveled 33-year-old will tackle
Aspen Ladd
in a sneaky showdown between Top 10 contenders in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight division
atop the
UFC 273 undercard on Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
in Jacksonville, Florida. Pennington enters the cage on the
strength of a three-fight winning streak. She has not taken a step
back since she lost a unanimous decision to
Holly Holm in
their UFC 246 rematch more than two years ago.
In advance of Pennington’s forthcoming battle with Ladd at 135
pounds, here are five things you might not know about her:
1. Perseverance paved her way.
Pennington suffered a broken back in a snowboarding accident during
her senior at Harrison High School in Colorado Springs. She took up
mixed martial arts training at the age of 19 as a means to stay
active.
2. She was the B-side at the starting line.
“Rocky” made her professional MMA debut opposite
Kim
Couture—the ex-wife of UFC hall of famer
Randy
Couture—at a Medieval Fight Productions event on March 3, 2012
in Casper, Wyoming. Pennington put away Couture with knees to the
body in the second round.