Tecia Pennington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tecia Torres |
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|---|---|
| Born | Tecia Lyn Torres Moncaio August 16, 1989 Fall River, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Other names | The Tiny Tornado, Double T |
| Height | 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m) |
| Weight | 115 lb (52 kg; 8.2 st) |
| Division | Strawweight |
| Reach | 60+1⁄2 in (154 cm) |
| Style | Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Fighting out of | Colorado Springs, U.S. |
| Team | American Top Team |
| Rank | Black belt in Karate Black belt in Jhoon-Rhee Taekwondo Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 21 |
| Wins | 14 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 12 |
| Losses | 7 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Amateur record | |
| Total | 7 |
| Wins | 7 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Other information | |
| Spouse |
Raquel Pennington
(m. 2022) |
Tecia Lyn Pennington (born August 16, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist. She is known for competing in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 2024, she is ranked among the top fighters in her division.
Contents
About Tecia Pennington
Tecia Pennington was born in Fall River, Massachusetts. When she was five, she moved to Coral Springs with her mom, older sister, and younger brother. She started learning martial arts at just three years old.
Martial Arts Journey
Tecia began with taekwondo as a child. After twelve years of practice, she earned her black belt. She also has a strong background in muay thai, with sixteen wins and only four losses as an amateur.
Education and Background
In 2010, at 20 years old, Tecia graduated from Florida Atlantic University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, studying both Criminal Justice and Sociology. Later, in 2017, she completed her master's degree in Criminology from the same university.
Tecia's family has a diverse background. She has roots from Puerto Rico, Portugal, and Ireland. Her family's history includes the town of Maunabo in Puerto Rico.
Tecia's Fighting Career
Tecia Pennington started her amateur mixed martial arts career in 2011. She had a perfect record, winning all seven of her fights. During this time, she won 115-pound titles in different championships like MMA Solutions and US Freedom Fighter Championship.
Becoming a Professional Fighter
In 2012, Tecia decided to become a professional mixed martial artist. She signed with Invicta Fighting Championships, a well-known organization for women's MMA.
Her first professional fight was on October 6, 2012, at Invicta FC 3. She won this fight by a unanimous decision, meaning all judges agreed she was the winner.
Tecia continued her winning streak at Invicta FC. She defeated Paige VanZant in January 2013 and Rose Namajunas in July 2013, both by unanimous decision. She also won against Felice Herrig in December 2013.
The Ultimate Fighter Show
In December 2013, Tecia was chosen to be part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She joined a new strawweight division for women. She also competed on The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show. This show was a tournament to find the first strawweight champion.
On the show, Tecia was picked second by coach Gilbert Melendez. She faced Randa Markos and surprisingly lost. However, she got another chance when another fighter got injured. She then joined Anthony Pettis's team and won against Bec Rawlings. Later, she faced Carla Esparza in the quarter-finals and lost.
Fighting in the UFC
Tecia made her official UFC debut on December 12, 2014. She fought Angela Magaña and won by a clear unanimous decision. She showed great skill, landing twice as many strikes as her opponent.
She continued to win in the UFC. In June 2015, she defeated Angela Hill. In December 2015, she won against Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger.
In April 2016, Tecia had a rematch with Rose Namajunas and lost by unanimous decision.
She later fought Bec Rawlings again in February 2017 and won. In July 2017, she earned her first "stoppage victory" by winning against Juliana Lima with a submission. This win also earned her a "Performance of the Night" bonus award!
Tecia continued to face tough opponents. She won against Michelle Waterson in December 2017. She then faced former champions and top contenders like Jéssica Andrade, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Zhang Weili, and Marina Rodriguez.
In 2020, she won against Brianna Van Buren and Sam Hughes. In August 2021, she had another rematch with Angela Hill and won by unanimous decision.
In April 2022, Tecia fought Mackenzie Dern and lost a close fight. In May 2024, she lost to Tabatha Ricci. However, on October 5, 2024, Tecia had a big win against former two-time UFC champion Carla Esparza at UFC 307. She won by unanimous decision.
Tecia's Fighting Style
Tecia Pennington is known for her unique fighting style. She moves a lot during fights, combining moves from taekwondo and karate. She often uses different kicking techniques, sometimes following a high or low kick with a quick side kick. When she punches, she often moves forward with a quick series of strikes. While she doesn't use submission moves very often, she is good at defending against them.
Personal Life
Tecia Pennington has shared that she has faced challenges with her mental well-being. She is also openly part of the LGBTQ+ community. She is married to Raquel Pennington, who is also a former UFC champion. In June 2023, Tecia and Raquel announced that they welcomed their baby daughter.
Achievements and Awards
Tecia Pennington has achieved many great things in her career:
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
- One-time "Performance of the Night" bonus award (for her fight against Juliana Lima)
- She is tied for the second most wins in the UFC Women's Strawweight division history (10 wins).
- She has competed in the fourth most fights in UFC Women's Strawweight division history (17 bouts).
Amateur and Other Awards
- Won amateur strawweight titles in MMA Solutions Global, US Freedom Fighter Championship, and American Battle Championships.
- Named "Strawweight of the Year" in 2013 by Women's MMA Awards and AwakeningFighters.com WMMA Awards.
- Also named "Newcomer of the Year" in 2013 by AwakeningFighters.com WMMA Awards.
- Her fight against Rose Namajunas on July 13, 2013, was named "WMMA Fight of the Year" by Bleacher Report.
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 21 matches | 14 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 12 | 7 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 14–7 | Carla Esparza | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 307 | October 5, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Loss | 13–7 | Tabatha Ricci | Decision (split) | UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento | May 11, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | |
| Loss | 13–6 | Mackenzie Dern | Decision (split) | UFC 273 | April 9, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 13–5 | Angela Hill | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 265 | August 7, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 12–5 | Sam Hughes | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 256 | December 12, 2020 | 1 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–5 | Brianna Van Buren | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov | June 20, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 10–5 | Marina Rodriguez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche 2 | August 10, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Montevideo, Uruguay | |
| Loss | 10–4 | Zhang Weili | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 235 | March 2, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 10–3 | Joanna Jędrzejczyk | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2 | July 28, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | |
| Loss | 10–2 | Jéssica Andrade | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Emmett vs. Stephens | February 24, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Orlando, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 10–1 | Michelle Waterson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 218 | December 2, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Detroit, Michigan, United States | |
| Win | 9–1 | Juliana Lima | Submission (rear-naked choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Finale | July 7, 2017 | 2 | 0:53 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 8–1 | Bec Rawlings | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie | February 4, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | Catchweight (117.5 lb) bout; Rawlings missed weight. |
| Loss | 7–1 | Rose Namajunas | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs. Evans | April 16, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 7–0 | Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 194 | December 12, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Angela Hill | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 188 | June 13, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Win | 5–0 | Angela Magaña | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale | December 12, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Felice Herrig | Decision (unanimous) | Invicta FC 7: Honchak vs. Smith | December 7, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Rose Namajunas | Decision (unanimous) | Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg | July 13, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Paige VanZant | Decision (unanimous) | Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt | January 5, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Kansas, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Kaiyana Rain | Decision (unanimous) | Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama | October 6, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Kansas, United States | Strawweight debut. |
Mixed martial arts exhibition record
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 3 matches | 1 win | 2 losses |
| By decision | 1 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1–2 | Carla Esparza | Decision (majority) | The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned | December 3, 2014 (airdate) | 2 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | TUF 20 Quarterfinal round. |
| Win | 1–1 | Bec Rawlings | Decision (unanimous) | November 12, 2014 (airdate) | 2 | 5:00 | TUF 20 Elimination round. Torres was brought back into competition after an injury to another contestant. | ||
| Loss | 0–1 | Randa Markos | Decision (unanimous) | September 10, 2014 (airdate) | 3 | 5:00 | TUF 20 Elimination round. |
See also
- List of current UFC fighters
- List of female mixed martial artists
