After the mishap in Abu Dhabi, the MMA world is now looking forward to two back-to-back Fight Nights scheduled at UFC APEX before the much-anticipated JDM vs. Islam Makhachev pay-per-view descends on the scene on November 15. To cap it off, fans may have one reason to rejoice. After undergoing neck surgery, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington reached out to fans with an update on her health.

The Coloradan has been absent from the scene since last year’s closely contested bout against former champion Julianna Pena. An appearance at September’s UFC Fight Night 259 was on the cards against Norma Dumont, but the fight had to be cancelled at the last minute after reports confirmed that Raquel Pennington had sustained an injury. Now, it appears, she is getting the help she needs to fix the issue once and for all.

Raquel Pennington – The champion who never stops fighting

Sharing a picture from her hospital bed, Pennington sounded ecstatic about the outcome of the procedure. “Update: Surgery was a success!” she wrote on her Instagram post. She thanked fans and followers for their love and support, adding, “Grateful for all the love and prayers that came my way.”

The most important phase now begins. “Now it’s time to focus on recovery and come back stronger than ever,” she added. On September 5, Raquel Pennington turned 37. Considering her long absence, it’s crucial for her to make a full recovery before staging a strong comeback that could potentially set her up for another title shot.

It was early in August when Pennington first shared details about her neck issue. “I’ve been dealing with a neck injury for a while now. My last fight camp, I had a procedure in September just to get through it and step in that octagon the beginning of October. This camp… it’s just been one thing after another,” she wrote, expressing her frustration and apologizing to fans.

To set the record straight, this isn’t the first time Pennington has had a tryst with the hospital.

The many comebacks of Raquel Pennington

Back in 2017, she had to take a year-long layoff following her famous face-off with Miesha Tate. She underwent surgery to repair her right shoulder. The procedure involved anchoring a torn bicep to the bone. Doctors reportedly cleaned up her rotator cuff and labrum as well. Not to forget the hunting incident where she broke her leg. Her comeback didn’t yield immediate results, but Pennington persevered and, through sheer grit and determination, eventually claimed the bantamweight title down the line.

So, fans can expect her to rebound in similar fashion. With her mother – ‘best friend, chief sidekick, and No. 1 supporter’ – by her side, and with the love and support of her immediate family, Raquel Pennington’s strong return should hardly come as a surprise.

After all, she kicked off her MMA journey following a snowboarding accident!

While recovering, she pursued pre-med at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. So a chance look at Gina Carano vs. Tonya Evinger piqued her interest in mixed martial arts. With her mother’s encouragement, she joined a gym and began training. “I fell in love with the challenge. I fell in love with every part of it. It made something come alive inside of me again. I started training, getting into it, and learning what it was all about,” Pennington once recalled.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Three years after debuting as an amateur, she fought her first professional bout in 2012. After a few fights that were a mix of wins and losses, she made her UFC debut in 2014. The sequence of triumphs and setbacks, nonetheless, continued. Following another defeat at the hands of Holly Holm in their rematch, Pennington turned the tables and secured successive victories that ultimately culminated in her capturing the bantamweight title last year.

Hopefully, she makes a full recovery and returns to doing what she does best, cementing her legacy inside the octagon.

You may post your message in the comments box below.