Jessica Andrade looked incredible in her last fight against Rosi Sexton, but I can’t help but feel that this was down to Sexton performing really badly, as opposed to Andrade performing really good. Andrade did show signs of great boxing, but Sexton was just a moving target and didn’t really pose any threat to her. The Brazilian also had a significant size over Sexton, which made it hard for the Brit to close the distance. It’s going to be very interesting to see how Andrade fights against Pennington, as Pennington has a significant reach advantage and will also stand in front of her and trade punches.
Raquel Pennington’s professional MMA record consists of an underwhelming 4 wins and 3 losses, but her time on the Ultimate Fighter gave us some insight into why she is so inconsistent. In her second fight on the show against Jessamyne Duke, Pennington outfought, out struck and out grappled Duke in a back and forth war. After the fight she looked like a future star, but her performances since then have been less than impressive.
The reason for Pennington’s inconsistent performances and tentative striking can be put down to a common problem that affects even the most experienced UFC fighters. That problem is Octagon jitters. Octagon jitters have disrupted the careers of some of the most talented fighters in UFC history, so it’s no surprise that it also affects a 25 year old MMA fighter with only 7 pro fights.
Now that Pennington has had time to adjust to fighting in the UFC, I’m expecting big things and I believe that she will start to show her full potential in her fight against Andrade.
Pennington also matches up extremely well against the Brazilian, as she is well rounded, stronger and has a significant reach advantage. Andrade is slightly faster, but this is countered by Pennington’s superior boxing.
It seems obvious that this fight will be contested in the stand up, but Pennington has shown decent grappling in previous fights. If this fight does go to the ground, then Pennington has a real chance of putting Andrade away. If Pennington fights smart, she will look to take Andrade down and ground and pound, since Andrade showed weaknesses in this area against Liz Carmouche. I can’t see it happening, but it’s another path to victory that Pennington can choose to take.
Pennington’s 5.5 inch reach advantage over Andrade is massive in the Womens Bantamweight division. Andrade also fights with a lose and wide technique, which will leave her open to Pennington’s counter shots and power punches. Andrade will probably throw more strikes than Pennington in this fight, but Pennington will almost certainly land more punches on the Brazilian and that will be the key to her winning this fight.
Every now and again you have to have a little faith when you bet on MMA. If Pennington shows up and fights like she did against Jessica Rakoczy or Roxanne Modafferi then she’s going to get beat up, but Octagon jitters rarely last forever.
The odds of 3.10 | +210 | 21/10 on Pennington to win are great value for a fighter with so much potential. She’s got more ways to win this fight and she’s got a promising career ahead of her in the UFC. Place your bets on Raquel Pennington to win at [adrotate group=”38″], who currently have the best odds available for this fight.
OUR BET: 10.00 UNITS ON RAQUEL PENNINGTON TO WIN AT 3.10 | +210 | 21/10
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BEST ODDS AVAILABLE FOR THIS UFC FIGHT…
The best odds for this fight can be found at [adrotate group=”38″].
