Raquel Pennington is not open to the idea of Kayla Harrison cutting in line in case she defeats Holly Holm in her UFC debut.
Pennington snatched the vacant bantamweight belt after defeating Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297 last month. With this win, “Rocky” became the latest target of the female fighters in her division, including Julianna Peña, who is coming back after recovering from her injury. The former champ has repeatedly stressed her intention to challenge the new champ in her return in her past interviews. However, the plan is seemingly facing a threat, with Harrison entering the class weight.
UFC has recently added Harrison to its roster, and the former PFL star will be making her first bantamweight match against Holm at UFC 300 in April. As a huge name, some are suggesting that it won’t take Harrison long before getting to the top. This has led to the belief that Harrison might later find herself in a title shot against Pennington after winning over Holm.
The current women’s bantamweight champ, however, does not approve of the idea. As someone who faced several fighters before securing the title, Pennington believes it is unfair for the entire division.
“Anything can change. I’m not opposed to it (defending the title against Harrison), but at the same time, I just don’t find that fair,” Pennington said on The MMA Hour. “I’m speaking on behalf of everybody because I’ve been that athlete for a long time. Nothing was ever handed to me. I’ve had to work my way to the top the very hard way, time and time again.”
In the end, while Pennington acknowledged Harrison’s contribution to the MMA sport, she believes such a move should never be permitted just based on someone’s fame.
“… It really frustrates me when other athletes come in, and all of a sudden, they just jump the line,” Pennington continued. “There’s plenty of athletes who are here, they’ve been here for a long time, they’re busting their ass every single day, they’re trying to grind through each and every fight and build things for themselves to work their way to that same opportunity,” Pennington continued. “I feel like she (Harrison) doesn’t deserve to just skip the line because she has a huge name.”
