Tecia Torres is back after an over two-year long layoff.
[autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag] is back.
Torres (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) returns from an over two-year layoff to face [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night event on May 11, which doesn’t yet have a publicly known venue or location.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from Ricci on “Remember The Show.” Torres announced the fight, as well, Saturday on Instagram.
Torres hasn’t competed since a split decision loss to Mackenzie Dern at UFC 273 in April 2022, which snapped her three-fight winning streak. Torres’ time off was due to her pregnancy, where she gave birth to a baby girl this past June.
Ricci will also look to rebound from a split decision loss which she dropped to Loopy Godinez this past November at UFC 295. Prior to that, the 29-year-old had won four in a row – including a win over Gillian Robertson.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night card for May 11 includes:
Tecia Torres will return to the cage in 2024 after giving birth to her daughter in June.
LAS VEGAS – UFC strawweight [autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag] will be looking to return to action next year after giving birth to her daughter.
Torres (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC), along with her wife and fellow UFC fighter Raquel Pennington, are adjusting to life as new parents. Torres gave birth to their daughter Alayah on June 1. While bringing a child into the world has brought upon a new set of challenges for the fighting couple, both have designs of resuming their careers inside the octagon, with “The Tiny Tornado” eying a comeback in 2024.
“I hope for Spring of next year,” Torres told MMA Junkie and other reporters on the red carpet at the UFC Hall of Fame. “Unfortunately, I had to have an emergency C-section, so that is delaying things a little bit.
“But we hope by September I’ll get back to MMA training, hopefully spar by December. I’m going to spar Raquel first and see how that goes. If it goes well, I’d like to fight in March or April.”
Torres was last in action at UFC 273 on April 9, 2022. The result of that outing was a split decision loss to Mackenzie Dern, which snapped a three-fight streak of wins over Brianna Fortino, Sam Hughes, and Angela Hill.
Torres, who currently holds the No. 15 spot in the USA TODAY SPORTS/MMA Junkie strawweight rankings and No. 9 in the UFC’s promotional rankings, says she won’t be picky about an opponent in her return, as it’s more about getting her name back in the mix among the top fighters.
“Somebody that just gets me a win, I don’t care,” Torres said. “At that point, I need to get back into the rankings and relevant again.”
An already potentially big month for Raquel Pennington and Tecia Torres became life changing after the birth of their first baby.
An already potentially big month for [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] became life changing as she, along with wife and fellow UFC fighter [autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag], announced the arrival of their first baby Friday.
Pennington shared the news of Torres giving birth to baby girl Alayah Rose Pennington on Instagram with a video montage that includes images from the delivery room. Baby Alayah was born June 1.
Pennington (15-8 MMA, 12-5 UFC), a former UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger, could get another shot at gold this coming week as she’s been declared the backup for the UFC 289 main event between dual champion Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana on June 10 in Vancouver. Pennington, 34, is on a five-fight winning streak after she most recently defeated Ketlen Vieira by split decision this past January. Pennington hasn’t lost since a January 2020 unanimous decision to Holly Holm.
While Tecia Torres’ career is on hold, Raquel Pennginton has an upcoming big fight that she hopes will secure a second UFC title shot.
LAS VEGAS – For as long as they’ve been professionals, UFC fighters [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] and [autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag] haven’t worried about anyone but themselves and each other. Soon that will change.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Torres told MMA Junkie on the red carpet at last week’s World MMA Awards. “In June we’re gonna be mommies, something that we’ve wanted for a long time now. I think the time is right.”
Added Pennington: “Just the idea that we have a little one on the way, and I have a fight coming up, a big fight coming up, it’s just super motivating. It’s encouraging, it’s exciting … it’s a one-of-a-kind feeling.”
The arrival of their first baby means life changes are on the way for both women, although they’re more immediate for Torres.
“Last November I was shredded. I was still shredded this November, but now it’s getting a little less shredded,” Torres said with a laugh. “My abs are down to one.”
Tecia Torres and Raquel Pennginton’s baby announcement photo. (Instagram)
Torres, 33, who’s No. 8 in the official UFC strawweight rankings, last fought in April when she dropped a split decision to Mackenzie Dern to snap a three-fight winning streak. She’s putting her career on hold during pregnancy. If all goes according to plan, Torres said she’ll start training two months after she gives birth and then hopes to book a fight four to six months after that, which would put her on a timeline to compete in the first quarter of 2024.
That’s a goal Pennington can get behind.
“I love it. I love the motivation,” Pennington said. “Not just because of our relationship, but I’ve known Tecia for years, and she’s honestly one of my favorite fighters. It’s just exciting to see her go through the journey outside of the octagon in real life. And then to come back and finish off a solid career, it’s exciting.”
For Pennington, meanwhile, it’s business as usual. No. 5 in the UFC women’s bantamweight rankings, Pennington meets No. 2 Ketlen Vieira on Jan. 14 at UFC Fight Night 217 in Las Vegas. A victory would push Pennginton’s streak to five in a row as she hasn’t lost since a January 2020 unanimous decision to Holly Holm.
If she wins, Pennington believes she’ll have a strong case for her second title shot at 135 pounds. Her first one came in 2018 when she was pummeled by champion Amanda Nunes before a fifth-round TKO stoppage at UFC 224.
“Four-fight win streak, I mean, add another one to the list, you can’t deny me anymore,” Pennington said. “You know what I mean?”
Married UFC fighters Tecia Torres and Raquel Pennington announced that they’re expecting their first baby together in 2023.
UFC strawweight contender [autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag] will be away from the octagon for a while.
Torres, along with wife and former UFC title challenger [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag], announced Thursday that she’s pregnant with the couple’s first baby due in June 2023.
“We have a little extra to be thankful for this year,” Torres wrote on Instagram. “Happy Thanksgiving from our growing family to yours. …
“We are beyond excited and feel incredibly blessed. Mommies love you so much sweet baby, and we can’t wait for this life with you.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/ClWTDmpuBpt/
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Torres (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) told MMA Junkie that her fighting career is only on hold. She plans to compete again in 2024.
The 33-year-old last competed in April when he lost a split decision to Mackenzie Dern at UFC 273. Prior to that, Torres was on a three-fight winning streak, defeating Sam Hughes and former Invicta FC champions Angela Hill and Brianna Van Buren.
Seven-and-a-half years and 10 seasons later, Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza are about to rematch for gold at UFC 274.
A lot can change in seven-and-a-half-years. A lot has changed in seven-and-a-half years. But still, some things stay the same.
[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] and [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] will meet in a rematch for the strawweight championship this Saturday at UFC 274. Their first title fight was the culmination of “The Ultimate Fighter 20” reality series that featured 16 women vying for the inaugural UFC strawweight title. And on Dec. 12, 2014, it was Esparza who submitted Namajunas in the third round to claim gold at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale in Las Vegas.
Now, in the rematch, it’ll be Namajunas putting her 115-pound title on the line against Esparza, who marvels at the fact that the two of them get to do this all over again.
“To be fighting the same person for the title, it’s wild,” Esparza said. “Going back to our ‘Ultimate Fighter’ season, a lot of the people from the show – some aren’t even fighting anymore. Some have retired; some are no longer with the UFC. So, it’s crazy that not only are we both still here, we’re fighting for the title. It just brings back a lot of memories from the first time.”
This begs the question: Whatever happened to the ladies featured on “TUF 20”? Below is a quick look at each cast member.
Mackenzie Dern and Tecia Torres battled three closely contested rounds at UFC 273, but it was the submission specialist who got the nod.
[autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag] successfully stifled [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]’s submission attempts UFC 273, but it wasn’t enough to get the victory.
Dern (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) edged Torres (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) by split decision in a closely contested fight that went the distance. Ultimately, the judges saw it in her favor and rewarded scores of 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28.
The women’s strawweight bout was part of the UFC 273 main card at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
The fight started with Torres implementing a ton of movement and avoiding Dern’s advances and attempts to clinch and tie her up. She weaved in and out with punches and low kicks, doing her best to frustrate her opponent. It was a successful approach ,because Dern was unable to take her to the ground in the opening five minutes.
With some desperation mounting early in the second round, Dern charged at Torres and tried to jump for a flying triangle choke, which she quickly transitioned to a standing kimura. against the fence. Torres was certainly uncomfortable, and was forced to go down to the ground with Dern, but she kept her composure from the various submission attempts that came her way. There were some dangerous moments – in particular a leg lock attempt – but Dern ran out of time and couldn’t finish.
The final round of the contest started standing once again, forcing Dern to again press forward against Torres, who was clearly focused on keeping her distance. She miscalculated on a kick, though, which allowed Dern to grab the leg and secure a brief takedown. Torres got the fight upright, and it was a coin toss going into the final two minutes. Torres landed some solid strikes down the stretch, but Dern kept eager and got the nod.
After losing her previous bout to Marina Rodriguez, Dern is back on track and said she wants a big name next.
“Definitely someone in the top five,” Dern said in her post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC 273 main card, which features an anticipated Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev clash.
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main card for UFC 273.
UFC 273 takes place Saturday, April 9 from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Last event’s results: 4-1
Overall picks for UFC main cards in 2022: 28-9
Welcome to MMA Junkie’s quick picks and prognostications, where I’ll be giving brief, fight-day breakdowns for UFC main cards.
With that in mind, I hope these write-ups don’t come off as curt or dismissive, as my goal here is to offer quick picks and analysis in a digestible format. All odds listed are provided by Tipico Sportsbook.
If you’d like more detailed analysis from me, then feel free to check out my weekly show, The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.
The UFC is back in Florida this week with two title fights at the top of the card.
UFC 273 takes place Saturday at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
In the main event, featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) takes on challenger [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC). Volkanovski is a huge -800 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Jung is +470. With Volkanovski the biggest favorite on the main card, it’s no surprise our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have him as one of two unanimous picks at 11-0.
In the co-feature, bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) meets interim champ and former titleholder [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC). Yan lost their first fight by disqualification. He’s a -475 favorite in the rematch and has a 7-4 lead in the picks.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is a 5-1 favorite to stay unbeaten against former welterweight title challenger [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC). Chimaev has a 7-4 picks lead.
[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in a women’s strawweight bout with tight betting odds. Dern is -115, with Torres at -110. But Dern has a heavy 9-2 lead in the picks from our staff members.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is an underdog at lightweight against [autotag]Vinc Pichel[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who is a a-130 favorite. The comeback on Madsen is +105. Yet all 11 of our pickers are going with Madsen as our second unanimous choice.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Volkanovski (76 percent), Yan (82 percent), Chimaev (72 percent), Dern (68 percent) and Madsen (62 percent) are the choices.
