A decade ago, when Raquel Pennington joined the UFC, no one ever thought her journey would continue within the promotion for so long. Not only has she persevered, but she’s also run like the superhero ‘Flash,’ as evidenced by her current record. Now, at 36 years old, Raquel is on a six-fight winning streak, with her most recent victory against Mayra Bueno Silva being the most significant of all, as she finally became the women’s bantamweight champion after nearly 18 fights in the promotion.

This achievement serves as a source of motivation for other fighters, including her wife, strawweight contender Tecia Pennington, who has been struggling to find her footing in the promotion. Despite spending a decade in the UFC without a title shot, the 35-year-old remains determined with her “never lose hope” mindset. Inspired by Raquel’s journey, Tecia opened up about the impact her wife has had on her life during a recent UFC 307 pre-fight conference.

Tecia Pennington Praises Raquel Pennington Ahead of UFC 307

The upcoming UFC 307 will mark the first time in the promotion’s history that two couples are fighting on the same card. Raquel Pennington is set to defend her bantamweight title for the first time against Julianna Peña in the co-main event, while her partner, Tecia, will look to bounce back from a three-fight losing streak against two-time strawweight champion Carla Esparza in what will be her farewell fight. This matchup will be intense for both Tecia and her opponent, Carla Esparza.

During this challenging time, Tecia looks to her wife for motivation, something she recently opened up about in an interview. She spoke about this during UFC 307 media day, stating, “I’m proud of my wife. I’ve been with her for eight of her 14 years in her career. We both came from The Ultimate Fighter, and I know what it took to get to this point. It’s just inspiring to me. I’m still at it. I feel like I’ve got one good run in me. I feel like I can make it happen for myself too.” 

Tecia Pennington’s accomplishments as a mother are undoubtedly significant, even if her MMA career has not been as successful. Her dedication to their daughter, Alayah Rose Pennington, is admirable, especially when you consider that her wife battles it out in the octagon. Tecia looks up to her better half as a role model. Despite her run in the promotion, Pennington has pointed out potential biases in how the fights are scored in the UFC.

Tecia Pennington lashes out at the judges ahead of her fight at UFC 307

Since her debut in the UFC, Tecia Pennington has found herself in the top 15, but she holds the judges responsible for most of her career defeats, which have often come by decision. What hurts the most are her last two consecutive losses by split decision against Tabatha Ricci and Mackenzie Dern—a situation that is hard to digest.

She had the opportunity to bring this issue to light at the UFC 307 media day, where she expressed her frustration with the MMA judges, claiming, “The split decisions have hurt me. It’s hurt more, the loss, than anything—getting punched or kicked by these girls or whatnot. I truly believed I won those last two fights. Honestly, it’s the judges who keep f-cking me, if I’m being honest.”

What are your thoughts on Tecia Pennington’s remarks? Do you believe that, like her wife Raquel Pennington, she can one day rule her strawweight division, or is Raquel’s success a different case altogether? Drop your opinion below.