UFC Contender out of Title Tilt Following Severe Injury in an ATV Accident

Raquel "Rocky" Pennington's battle with injuries continue following an ATV accident in Colorado.

First reported by Combate, Pennington confirmed the news to MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani on Friday.

Pennington told MMAFighting the ATV flipped as they were turning coming back from their hunting trip. The roll cage pinned her leg, and Pennington's cousin helped lift the ATV enough to allow her to get free. 

The bantamweight contender said that her calf was "totally smashed in."

2017 has been an eventful year for Pennington even though she had not stepped foot inside the Octagon. Pennington was set to challenge bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes in December, but now the injury puts her on the shelf indefinitely.

Her shot at UFC gold will have to wait.

Pennington had multiple surgeries including her shoulder and wrist. She finished the final of those surgeries in April and proposed to her partner, UFC strawweight contender, Tecia Torres in May. After finally getting healthy, Pennington verbally agreed to the title fight at UFC 219.

"Rocky" has won four straight in the bantamweight division with her most recent victory coming at UFC 205 last November against Miesha Tate. Of the top five ranked UFC contenders, only Pennington has a multi-fight win streak to her credit leaving no sure contender behind her to fill the role against Nunes.

If Pennington suffers no setbacks she should return to training and action in the first-half of 2018.