Daniel Cormier is not entirely impressed with how the Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva ended up, with the former winning via a unanimous decision at UFC 297. According to the former fight and current commentator of UFC, Pennington could have made a finish in the fight but didn’t, making the entire match appear “odd” for him.
The co-main event of last weekend’s UFC event didn’t impress many. That includes Cormier, who thinks Pennington missed the huge opportunity to make the fight interesting for fans. According to the commentator, Pennington actually had the chance to make a finish as it was evident that Bueno Silva was already exhausted in the early part of the match.
“Mayra Bueno Silva’s inexperience really showed in that fight,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “She was very tired very early. She expended way too much energy not only in the fight but in the build to the fight, because her expectation of the way it was supposed to play out was a tad bit unrealistic, and I think very quickly she was reminded that she was now fighting at a level that she had not competed at prior.”
For this reason, Cormier thinks it is bizarre that Pennington didn’t aim for a finish. Yet, the former champ understands the 35-year-old female fighter, stressing the pressure she must have been feeling in order to secure the title.
“This fight was odd because it felt like Raquel could finish Mayra Bueno Silva,” Cormier explained. “It felt like if she broke away from her and allowed for her or made her stand and trade with her, she could finish her.
“But, as she said inside the octagon, she was so close that she could feel it, that it was win at all costs and I mean, I can’t blame her. I can’t blame her. I know how taxing and how mentally challenging it is to try and become a UFC champion.”
