Raquel Pennington’s corner came under scrutiny lately for allowing her to fight in the fifth round against UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes, despite the fighter muttering “I’m done” after the fourth round.
Pennington and future wife Tecia Torres have already defended the corner’s actions, while former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate is defending them as well.
“I think that I would’ve done the same thing if I was in her corner’s shoes,” Tate said on Sirius XM Rush. “It’s important that a fighter loses with dignity, and I think that Raquel lost with dignity. She went out there and she got finished. She went out on her shield. I would have done the same thing because sometimes when you’re tired and you don’t think you have enough left, your coach’s job is to pull the most out of you and I think that’s what the corner was trying to do - not let her give up on herself, get her back in the game mentally. She lost, but she went out there. She could have quit at any point if she felt like she couldn’t hang in there. She got finished, and I would have done the same thing.”
Tate and Pennington have a history together, as Pennington defeated Tate in her retirement fight at UFC 205.
The now retired Tate doesn’t think that Pennington will regret her decision to fight in the fifth round in the long run.
“She did get finished but if she really wanted to she could have just said, ‘I’m not gonna go out for the next round,’” Tate said. “I think she was looking for her coach to give her the words of encouragement. ‘I want to be done.’ Yeah, but you’re not. And she got off the stool and went back out for the fifth round. She didn’t have to do that. Nobody tied her hands behind her back and shoved her out there. She got the opportunity to win or to lose, to finish or to be finished. She had every opportunity in the book, and I think she’ll be glad that she went out for the fifth round and overcame that mental hurdle of not wanting to. She poured her whole heart out there, and I don’t think she’s going to regret that decision.”
Nunes, who defeated Pennington at UFC 224, has come out against the corner and says they have failed Pennington.
