Raquel Pennington may not have won season 18 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, but she has won a UFC title, which is much harder. But the show remains quite close to her heart and is definitely one of the most important parts of her life. Why else would she have the words ‘TUF 18’ tattooed on her body?

But that is just one of the many many tattoos that the women’s bantamweight champion has on her body. Like many of her UFC peers, ‘Rocky’ seems to like to wear her heart and personality on her body. In this article we take a look at some of her tattoos and what they mean.

What do Raquel Pennington’s tattoos mean?

The most tattooed part of her body is her right arm. The ‘TUF’ alumni have a panoply of designs on that arm, starting with a Celtic band, which is considered a good luck charm and also symbolizes wisdom and strength on her right bicep done in all black. Below that band on her bicep are the words ‘TUF 18’ and ‘Every SINGLE SECOND’, undoubtedly in honor of her participation in the UFC’s flagship reality show which began her journey to becoming the best 135-pound fighter on the planet.

Besides this tattoo, there is a beautiful turtle, a universal symbol of wisdom, endurance, and longevity. The Colorado native seems quite fond of the turtle and what it represents since she has another one tattooed on her left calf. On her right elbow is another nature motif- a hibiscus flower.

On her ribcage, ‘Rocky’ has a heartbeat that flows into the words ‘Mucho Mucho’ which translates to ‘Very Very’ in English. In addition, she has her full name inked on her belly. And she seems quite proud not only of her name but also of her moniker, which she has tattooed on her right forearm.

A closer look at Pennington’s nickname tattooed on her forearm

While her right arm is filled with tattoos from top to bottom, none is more eye-catching than her nickname ‘Rocky’ done in beautiful cursive fonts on her right forearm. And there is an interesting story behind why she is called this. Of course, a fighter being named ‘Rocky’ immediately conjures up images of the eponymous character played by Sylvester Stallone.

But Pennington’s moniker does not derive from the cult classic movie franchise. Instead, it was a result of the kids around her being unable to pronounce her name and calling her ‘Rock-quel’. This name got shortened over time to ‘Rocky’. But, even if her nickname is not from the famous fictional boxer, it perfectly suits Pennington and her similar never-say-die attitude and ability to get through adversity without breaking a sweat. However, she isn’t as fond of all her tattoos as the one on her right forearm.

Raquel Pennington gets a tattoo removed

Raquel Pennington has had a few tattoos removed from her body. While we have confirmation of only one of her tattoos being removed since she talked about it in an Instagram post, she wrote about having ‘another’ tattoo removed.

This, of course, means she has had more than one tattoo removed from her body. The aforementioned, confirmed tattoo removal was on her neck, below her left ear. It is unknown what she had inked there before the removal. With that being said, which of Pennington’s tattoos is your favorite?