Germaine de Randamie is finally set to get back in the octagon against Raquel Pennington at UFC Denver.
One thing the UFC did not have in its inaugural event twenty-five years ago: women fighting. That won’t be the case for the promotion’s twenty-fifth anniversary show in Denver, however. On Thursday, the UFC announced a pair of bouts for the UFC Denver (UFC Fight Night 139) card this November, in addition to a previously announced bout between Maycee Barber and Maia Stevenson.
The biggest addition is a former champion vs. a former title challenger. Germaine de Randamie, lest we forget, was the UFC’s inaugural women’s featherweight champion after winning a controversial decision over Holly Holm at UFC 208. That was in February 2017. The Dutch fighter has not fought since, and was stripped of her title for refusing to fight Cris Cyborg.
Raquel Pennington, meanwhile, was the most recent woman to challenge for Amanda Nunes’ bantamweight title. Prior to that, Pennington (9-6) had won four straight, including wins over Meisha Tate and Bethe Correia.
At strawweight, Ashley Yoder (5-4), who has lost all three of her UFC bouts so far, will take on Amanda Cooper (3-4), in what feels like a “loser leaves town” situation. Like Yoder, Cooper has struggled in the UFC, going 2-3. She lost to Mackenzie Dern in her last outing.
Maycee Barber vs. Maia Stevenson added to UFC Denver #UFC #UFCDenver #DWTNCS
— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) August 8, 2018
Finally, Maycee Barber (5-0) will make her UFC debut against Maia Stevenson (6-5) at UFC Denver. Barber won her way into the promotion on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Stevenson, meanwhile, wife of former UFC lightweight Joe Stevenson, is an Ultimate Fighter veteran. The bout was announced on the season finale of DWTNCS season two earlier this week.
UFC Fight Night 139 takes place November 10 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO.
