Jessica Penne

Jessica Penne is a veteran mixed martial artist and pioneering figure in women's combat sports. Born in Newport Beach, California, in 1983, she began her professional MMA career in 2006 and achieved early landmark status: she was the first woman to compete and win in Bellator Fighting Championships in 2009 and became Invicta FC's inaugural atomweight champion in 2012, defeating the previously dominant Naho Sugiyama via triangle choke. Selected by coach Anthony Pettis on The Ultimate Fighter 20, she made her UFC debut in December 2014 with a split-decision victory over Randa Markos, earning her first Fight of the Night bonus.

Penne's early UFC run climaxed with a strawweight title shot against Joanna Jędrzejczyk on short notice in June 2015, a high-stakes bout that ended in a third-round TKO loss but earned both fighters honors. Subsequent losses to Jessica Andrade and Danielle Taylor dampened her momentum, and her career was derailed by two USADA anti-doping violations (2017 and 2019), resulting in 18-month and 20-month suspensions respectively. She returned to competition in April 2021 and notched a submission victory over Lupita Godinez via split decision, followed by a standout Performance of the Night finish against Karolina Kowalkiewicz via first-round armbar at UFC 265.

Penne is a grappler and submission specialist, with eight UFC wins by submission (predominantly armbars and rear-naked chokes) and six first-round finishes in her career. She trains at Alliance MMA in Chula Vista and holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. While she has competed sporadically in recent years, losing decisions to Emily Ducote and Elise Reed and a submission loss to Tabatha Ricci, her 14-9 UFC record and 20-year professional tenure mark her as a respected veteran of the strawweight division and a pioneer who helped establish women's legitimacy in major combat-sports promotions.