Updated 02:28 AM EDT, Fri, Mar 29, 2024

UFC 181 Fight Card: Ashlee Evans-Smith vs Raquel Pennington After Holly Holm Injury

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With Holly Holm out of the UFC 181 bout, former Championship Fighting Alliance women's featherweight champion, Ashlee Evans-Smith, will now be the opponent of The Ultimate Season 18's Raquel Pennington.

Smith, according to Bleacher Report, has a 3-0 professional record inclusive of two TKO victories. She became well known for her victory against transgender fighter Fallon Fox. She later on fought and defeated Marciea Allen via TKO during round 3 of the World Series Fighting 10.

As to what the public can expect from Smith, Bloody Elbow said that she is "a functional, come-forward kickboxer at range." It noted that she is the kind of fighter who throws decent and straight punches and couples these with good leg and body kicks.

"The upside of having a kickboxing style that constantly pushes her forward is that Evans-Smith really seems to do her best striking work in the clinch. She's great at getting single collar tie and throwing uppercuts, or finding the double and landing knees. She can come in a bit wide open, with both hands out and her head on line when transitioning from distance, so powerful strikers may find opportunities against her there," Bloody Elbow explained.

Pennington, on the other hand, was able to reach the semifinals of The Ultimate Fighter Season 18's women's bantamweight tournament when she defeated Invicta FC's Tonya Evinger and Jessamyn Duke. Her record is now a 4-4 which includes a dropped split decision on her bout with Jessica Andrade at UFC 171.

For Pennington to beat Smith, she needs to take control of the game and of her opponent early on as Bloody Elbow said that the latter "doesn't seem to be a big threat to just plant her opponents on their back."

Holm, who is a former pro boxer and a performing UFC newcomer, was recently sidelined by a neck injury but she earlier claimed that she will not be out for too long as she is expecting a speedy recovery.

The fight between Pennington and Evans-Smith will be held at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas on December 6. It will also feature two championship fights: Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler 2 and Anthony Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez.

Below are the complete list of the matches for UFC 181 as listed by MMA Junkie.

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler - for welterweight title
  • Champ Anthony Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez - for lightweight title
  • Travis Browne vs. Brendan Schaub
  • Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Raquel Pennington
  • Tony Ferguson vs. Abel Trujillo

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Urijah Faber vs. Francisco Rivera
  • Eddie Gordon vs. Josh Samman
  • Corey Anderson vs. Jonathan Wilson
  • Todd Duffee vs. Anthony Hamilton

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Matt Hobar vs. Sergio Pettis
  • Clay Collard vs. Alex White

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