Raquel Pennington, Pannie Kianzad to Square Off at UFC Fight Night on Sept. 18

Raquel Pennington will face Pannie Kianzad at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Sept. 18.

Both fighters confirmed the bantamweight bout on social media following an initial report from Frontkick.online. UFC Fight Night takes place at an as yet to be announced location and is headlined by a light heavyweight clash pitting Anthony Smith against Ryan Spann.

A former 135-pound title challenger, Pennington last competed at UFC on ESPN 11, where she outpointed Marion Reneau in June 2020. “Rocky” recently completed a six-month USADA suspension in May after she tested positive for a banned substance found in medicine she was prescribed for a medical condition. Pennington’s resume includes triumphs over the likes of Irene Aldana, Miesha Tate, Jessica Andrade and Roxanne Modafferi.

Kianzad, meanwhile, enters the matchup with Pennington on a four-bout winning streak within the Las Vegas-based promotion. In her first appearance of 2021, “Banzai” outpointed Alexis Davis at UFC 263. The Invicta FC and Cage Warriors veteran also owns decision triumphs over Sijara Eubanks, Bethe Correia and Jessica-Rose Clark during her current run.