Raquel Pennington Reveals Adversity She Went Through On The Day Of UFC 297 Title Win: 'I Cannot Do This...'

During a post-fight interview with UFC roving reporter Megan Olivi, Pennington reflected on her championship triumph, which came close to six years on from her failed bid opposite Nunes.

Pennington revealed some adversity late in the day that she was forced to overcome, with sickness making her initially doubt if she could even make it to the cage at UFC 297.

"It (was) a weird morning," Pennington said. "Another mountain I had to climb, right? It's been 14 years of hard work and I woke up this morning and like, to be in this position and to have a second opportunity to fight for the world title, I questioned everything. I woke up, I couldn't breathe, my throat was hurting. Like, I didn't sleep last night.

"I looked at my coaches, I looked at Tecia (Torres), and it was just like, 'I cannot do this.' They were like, 'Yes you can.' So, honestly, I had to spent all day having to get my mind right and understand that I can push through another mission and needed a championship mindset," Pennington continued. "It took a lot of talking with my coaches. I did some sports psychology; my sports psychologist was there. We just sat there and then I turned around, I pulled out my journal and started writing. I really sat there and thought about it. '14 years of hard work, am I really gonna let this cold bother me?'"

Thankfully for "Rocky" and her family in attendance, she was able to overcome that doubt and fight through her health problems to secure championship glory on MMA's biggest stage.

Celebrations will no doubt be ongoing in Pennington's camp, but she'll soon need to turn her attention to making the first defense of her reign, with former TUF rival Julianna Peña waiting in the wings for her opportunity.