Raquel Pennington's corner should be ashamed of how they treated their fighter in the biggest fight of her career.
Raquel Pennington has always been known for her durability. She is one of the toughest fighters in the division. She is known for her ability to wade through the fire and grind out a victory utilising her supreme gameness.
So if Pennington tells you she's done, she's definitely done. Quitting out of convenience simply isn't in her nature. If she wants out, there's a good reason why.
When referee Marc Goddard put her out of her misery in UFC 224's main event, there was a really uncomfortable atmosphere. Rather than appreciate an excellent fifth-round TKO victory for bantamweight queen Amanda Nunes, fans couldn't stop thinking about what they had heard just a few minutes before the end.
That gruesome pool of blood Pennington left on the canvas was on her corner's hands.
https://twitter.com/lazyemirati/status/995529352891781120
Enough is enough
Nunes absolutely dominated the fight from start to finish. While Pennington had her brief moments, the result seemed beyond all doubt from the opening round. Pennington had not competed in a year and a half and although she brought the fight to Nunes, it was clear she was in over her head. Nunes really put a beating on her.
In the third round, it became evident that Pennington's nose was broken. Once she went back to her corner, she wanted out. After having her face cleaned up a bit, she told them, "I'm done. I want to be done."
However, her corner ignored her. They immediately responded with, "No, no, no, no." Then they attempted to motivate her into soldiering on.
"Come on girl. I know it hurts. I know it hurts. Let's power through this."
https://twitter.com/btsportufc/status/995527561084981248
Sure enough, she was finished in the very next round. Her reward for powering through was a load of unnecessary damage inflicted by the best fighter in the world.
Fighters at this level are delusional. The vast majority of the UFC's roster believe they are the best in the world. They believe they can beat anyone, even if they are down on the scorecards, there is often an unfounded feeling that they can somehow pull it out of the bag. So when a fighter like Pennington comes to the conclusion that the fight is over as a contest, there's no doubt about it, it's over.
That's why Pennington's corner received so much criticism for their actions. UFC fighters and personalities came out in force to slam their treatment of their own fighter.
https://twitter.com/thugjitsumaster/status/995525599962710016
https://twitter.com/BrianTcity/status/995526923135533056
https://twitter.com/lthomasnews/status/995526267343601664
https://twitter.com/RdosAnjosMMA/status/995527229030334464
https://twitter.com/kennyflorian/status/995526790100672512
https://twitter.com/bulldawgUFC/status/995526137106255872?
https://twitter.com/benfowlkesMMA/status/995525664613650432
