At UFC Vegas 106, Tecia Pennington stormed into the Octagon and opened the night with a dominant win over Luana Pinheiro, who now finds herself on a four-fight skid. Riding the momentum of back-to-back victories, Pennington is hungry for a high-stakes showdown. Despite past setbacks against elite names like Zhang Weili, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Jessica Andrade, she’s urging the UFC for another shot—this time, against any ranked contender willing to step up.
While speaking to the media at the post-fight press conference, Tecia Pennington was asked about her future plans. In response, she urged fans to raise their voices and support her, hoping the UFC would give her a chance to face top-tier talents and higher-ranked opponents within the promotion.
At the presser, Pennington broke down in tears as she spoke about her daughter and the loss of several close family members, “I’m training hard. I’m missing time with my daughter. I love being with my daughter, but I also love this sport. And I know there’s a window frame—you know, of my capabilities. My arms, my legs, they’re still doing it. I’m going to be a martial artist my whole life.”
She further added, “But now, I just have more to fight for. I fight for myself. I fight for my dad, in his honor. I fight for both my grandmothers. I lost my grandma a year ago. I lost my nana a year ago. I lost my other grandma two years ago. I’m so sorry, guys. I’m a very emotional person.”
Pennington’s career has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. Currently, she is riding a two-fight winning streak following her victory over Luana Pinheiro. However, prior to that, she was on a two-fight losing skid against Tabatha Ricci and Mackenzie Dern.
Tecia Pennington comes to tears in an emotional plea for higher-ranked competition after #UFCVegas106. pic.twitter.com/UzGD05ZiCh
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) May 17, 2025
At 35, you start to feel the clock ticking on your UFC career. Tecia Pennington has been part of the Octagon’s lore since 2014, ever since she stepped into the spotlight on The Ultimate Fighter 20, chasing a coveted UFC contract. Since then, she’s gone toe-to-toe with some of the most iconic names in strawweight history. Down in the conversation, ‘The Tiny Tornado’ has further doubled down on why she should be offered ranked opponents.
Tecia Pennington weighs in on MMA media’s role for high-profile fights
With a career record of 15 victories and 7 defeats, Tecia Pennington has been a part of the UFC ever since the inception of the women’s strawweight division by UFC CEO Dana White. Since her days on The Ultimate Fighter, Pennington has never turned down a fight offered by the promotion.
Whether it was the strawweight queen Zhang Weili or the former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, she never shied away from a challenge—except in 2023, when she briefly stepped away from the sport to focus on becoming a mother. According to Pennington, she has always delivered when it mattered the most, and now she needs the UFC to listen to her.
During the same press conference, Pennington asked the media to help her secure a high-profile fight from the UFC CEO. “I’m going to say, I hope it moves me up. I got another win, and I’m ranked behind Angela Hill, and I beat her twice in the UFC. So I at least got a punch in front of her, you know, even though this girl is number 15. But ideally, I’d like to be in the top 10. I mean, journalists, whoever’s out there doing—if it’s you guys, I don’t know—look at my wins, look at my losses. Even my losses, I’ve lost, you know, split decisions to champions.”
Pennington further highlighted that she has never been finished by anyone in her entire career, which is true, as all of her losses have come by decision. Considering her record, ‘The Tiny Tornado’ believes the UFC should show her a bit more consideration. But will the promotion meet her demands and offer a ranked opponent, or will she still have to prove her worth? Only Dana White holds the answer to that. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below
The post “I Lost My Grandma” – Missing Time With Daughter, Tecia Pennington Begs Journalists in Emotional Plea to Support Her UFC Career appeared first on EssentiallySports.
