November 4, 2024

Jessica Penne vs. Jodie Esquibel announced for UFC’s ESPN debut

Jessica Penne (pictured) fights Jodie Esquibel on Feb. 17 in Phoenix live on ESPN
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

A pair of struggling strawweights will look to turn things around this February.

One-time title challenger Jessica Penne and former Invicta standout Jodie Esquibel have been booked to face one another on the UFC’s upcoming ESPN debut, which is scheduled to take place on Feb. 17 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, the promotion announced Monday.

Penne (12-5) will be looking for her first win since Dec. 12, 2014, a split nod over Randa Markos. The 35-year-old is 0-3 since that date and she also lost time to an 18-month USADA suspension after being flagged for an anabolic steroid. In her most recent fight in April of last year, she dropped a unanimous decision to Danielle Taylor.

Esquibel, 32, will also be looking to snap a skid when she fights Penne. She has lost three of her last four bouts including back-to-back unanimous decision losses to Jessica Aguilar and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Esquibel’s UFC record sits at 0-2 and she is 6-4 overall as a pro.

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