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UFC 297: Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva: Full video highlights

The co-main event of UFC 297 featured a bantamweight clash between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant UFC title. The fight took place on Jan. 20 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.

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Before the Jan. 20 clash, Pennington was on an impressive five-fight win streak that included victories over names like Macy Chiasson, Aspen Ladd and Ketlen Viera.

Silva, on the other hand, was undefeated in her last four UFC outings. The Brazilian's last UFC fight proved to be controversial. Silva took on former champion Holly Holm in July 2023 and won the encounter via second-round submission. Though, the result was later changed to a no-contest as the 32-year-old tested positive for ritalinic acid.

Before the UFC 297 fight, Silva appeared to be in a cheerful mood as she picked up a snack while making her way into the arena.

Both athletes sported a determined look while making their way to the UFC octagon.

In the first round, 'Sheetara' got hold of her opponent's back and attempted to finish her via submission.

'Rocky' turned things around in the next round and landed several heavy blows on the Brazilian.

But Silva stuck to her gameplan and once again, climbed on Pennington's back in the second round and attempted a rear-naked choke.

As the fight progressed, the Brazilian started to slow down. Pennington landed several clinch strikes on Silva in the final round and managed to get top control on the ground. The two fighters spent the rest of the round in that position with 'Rocky' making multiple submission attempts.

The UFC 297 co-main event lasted the entire 25 minutes and Pennington was crowned the new bantamweight champion via unanimous decision. The three judges scored the contest 49-46, 49-46 and 49-45 in favor of the 35-year-old.

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