Raquel Pennington-Irene Aldana Rematch Likely for UFC on ESPN 43 in San Antonio

A rematch between Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana is expected to serve as the main event for UFC on ESPN 43.

The bantamweight bout, which is expected to be finalized soon, was recently confirmed by ESPN Deportes following an initial report from MMA journalist James Lynch on YouTube. UFC on ESPN 43 takes place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, on March 25 and also includes a 135-pound showdown between Holly Holm and Yana Kunitskaya. Pennington and Aldana initially squared off at UFC on ESPN 4 in July 2019, with Pennington prevailing via split decision.

Pennington is currently on a five-bout winning streak in UFC competition. The former bantamweight title challenger was successful in her first venture of 2023, as she garnered a split verdict against Ketlen Vieira at UFC Fight Night 217 on Jan. 14. Her current run also includes victories over the likes of Aspen Ladd, Macy Chiasson, Pannie Kianzad and Marion Reneau.

Aldana, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of her last five Octagon appearances. The Lobo Gym MMA representative has earned finishes in three of those bouts, scoring KO/TKO wins over Chiasson, Kunitskaya and Vieira. Aldana had recently been linked to a matchup with reigning two-division champion Amanda Nunes, but the Mexican fighter told ESPN Deportes that she was never formally offered the bout.