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Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneau square off in a women’s bantamweight bout on the main card at UFC on ESPN 11 – also known as UFC Fight Night 173 – Saturday at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. The prelims kick off at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the main card set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.
Pennington (10-9) heads into this one with a 1-3 record across her past four bouts, although losses to Holly Holm at UFC 246 (Jan. 18), Germaine de Randamie at UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Rodriguez (Nov. 10, 2018) and Amanda Nunes at UFC 224 (May 12, 2018) is nothing to be ashamed of. Those three ladies have been at the top of the division for a while now. Before Pennington’s 1-3 run, she was on a four-bout win streak, which saw her get a chance at the title against Nunes at UFC 224. Pennington proved she isn’t quite ready for prime time, but she is always a tough out since she is a grinder. She has gone the distance in three straight and six of the past seven. In fact, Pennington ranks No. 1 in the women’s bantamweight division with five decision wins, and is tops in total fight time at 2:52:33.
Reneau (9-5-1) is on a two-bout skid, falling to Yana Kunitskaya March 9, 2019, and Cat Zingano July 14, 2018. Reneau’s last victory came in a submission win over Sara McMann Feb. 24, 2018, so she is itching to get off the schneid. Three of her past five outings have ended up going the distance, and six of her 10 fights at the UFC level have been decided by the judges. Reneau is seventh in the class in average fight time at 12:51, while checking in eighth with 3.46 significant strikes landed per minute to 3.11 for Pennington. Reneau and Pennington are also very good at significant strike defense, with Reneau at 65.2 percent and Pennington at 63.6. Both are at the top of their class, tied with nine submission attempts, too.
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Raquel Pennington vs. Marion Reneau betting odds
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday, June 19 at 5 a.m. ET.
PENNINGTON (-179) is a moderate favorite in this battle between division veterans, with Reneau (+150) likely headed for a third straight setback. While Pennington is expected to win, the best bet here is taking YES (-304): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? Pennington is a grinder who doesn’t knock opponents out, and seems a little apprehensive about getting mixed up in the ground game, too. PENNINGTON (+110) BY DECISION is also worth a play.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Pennington (-179) to win outright returns a profit of $5.59. A $10 wager on Yes (-304) for the fight to go the distance fetches a return of just $ 3.29. A $10 play on Pennington (+110) to win by decision returns a profit of $11.
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