Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington — Fight recap

Holly Holm defeated Raquel Pennington by unanimous decision over three rounds on January 18, 2020, in a striking-heavy matchup that saw both fighters land significant strikes at identical 48% accuracy rates. Holm connected on 30 of 62 significant strikes while Pennington landed 38 of 78, but the decisive factor was cage control, where Holm dominated with 7:16 of positional time compared to Pennington's 1:02.

Pennington's wrestling provided minimal impact, securing one takedown on two attempts, while Holm stuffed all three takedown tries. Holm's striking distribution proved more efficient, particularly with leg kicks (9 of 11), while Pennington relied heavily on body work (27 of 30).

Referee Jason Herzog oversaw a technical affair devoid of knockdowns or submission attempts, with judges awarding Holm the nod across all three rounds. The victory marked a solid return for Holm in the bantamweight division and positioned her for a potential title contention run.