Jessica Penne is back.
Having concluded a 20-month U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspension, Penne (12-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) is being targeted for a return against Hannah Goldy at UFC 260 on March 27. The event doesn’t currently have an announced location or venue.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the planned booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Initially a four-year suspension, Penne’s discipline was reduced to a 20-month order by USADA after she tested “positive at trace levels for two metabolites of stanozolol, 16β-hydroxystanozolol and 3′-hydroxystanozolol” due to a tainted supplement. The suspension was made effective retroactively to the date of the test, April 8, 2019. It was Penne’s second career USADA suspension.
A former UFC women’s strawweight title challenge, Penne has lost three straight fights. After a loss to then-champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Penne was then defeated by Jessica Andrade and Danielle Taylor.
Goldy (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), a Dana White’s Contender Series signee, was defeated by fellow UFC debutant Miranda Granger at UFC on ESPN 5 in August 2019. Goldy has not competed since then, though was booked for, and withdrew from, a fight vs. Loma Lookboonme in February 2020.
With the addition, the latest UFC Fight Night on March 27 lineup includes:
- Champ Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou – for heavyweight title
- Champ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – for featherweight title
- Jimmy Crute vs. Johnny Walker
- Modestas Bukauskas vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
- Hannah Goldy vs. Jessica Penne
