Pennington calls for Pena rematch: 'I do not feel I lost that fight'

Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington doesn't agree with the judges' decision in her title loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 307.

Pennington attempted to defend her belt for the first time in the event's co-main event this past weekend in Salt Lake City but suffered a split-decision defeat.

"I do not feel I lost that fight," Pennington wrote Tuesday on Instagram. "But this is just another wild detour in this journey of mine. I will be back better than ever."

Pennington added that she wants a rematch with Pena "stat." However, Pena, who became just the second two-time champion in division history with the victory, is expected to make her first title defense against Kayla Harrison.

Pennington scored the lone knockdown of the fight, rocking Pena with a right hand in the fourth round. The decision was controversial across social media, and 25 of 26 media members who submitted scorecards to MMADecisions.com had the fight for Pennington.

Pennington, an 11-year UFC veteran, captured the vacant title in January and had been unbeaten since 2020.