Women's Strawweight

Carla

"Cookie Monster"

Esparza

L UD
Esparza
VS
OPPONENT
Tecia Pennington
U-DEC
October 05, 2024
L SUB
Esparza
VS
OPPONENT
Zhang Weili
SUB Rear Naked Choke
November 12, 2022
W SD
Esparza
VS
OPPONENT
Rose Namajunas
S-DEC
May 07, 2022
W KO
Esparza
VS
OPPONENT
Yan Xiaonan
KO/TKO Punches
May 22, 2021
W SD
Esparza
VS
OPPONENT
Marina Rodriguez
S-DEC
July 25, 2020
20
WINS
8
LOSSES
0
DRAWS
AGE
38
HEIGHT
155 cm
WEIGHT
52.2 kg
REACH
160 cm
LEG REACH
35 cm
COUNTRY
United States

UFC HISTORY & CAREER

• UFC 307(10/5/24) Esparza lost a three round unanimous decision to Tecia Pennington
• UFC 281(11/12/22) Esparza was submitted by Zhang Weili via rear-naked choke at 1:05 of the second round, losing the UFC strawweight title
• UFC 274(5/7/22) Esparza won a five round split decision over Rose Namajunas to win the UFC strawweight title
• UFC Fight Night(5/22/21) Esparza stopped Yan Xiaonan via strikes at 2:58 of the second round
• UFC on ESPN(7/26/20) Esparza won a three round split decision over Marina Rodriguez
• UFC 249(5/9/20) Esparza won a three round split decision over Michelle Waterson
• UFC Fight Night(9/21/19) Esparza won a three round majority decision over Alexa Grasso
• UFC Fight Night(4/27/19) Esparza won a three round unanimous decision over Virna Jandiroba
• UFC 228(9/8/18) Esparza was stopped by Tatiana Suarez via strikes at 4:33 of the third round
• UFC 225(6/9/18) Esparza lost a three round split decision to Claudia Gadelha
• UFC 219(12/30/17) Esparza won a three round unanimous decision over Cynthia Calvillo
• UFC Fight Night(6/25/17) Esparza won a three round unanimous decision over Maryna Moroz
• UFC Fight Night(2/19/17) Esparza lost a three round split decision to Randa Markos
• UFC 197(4/23/16) Esparza won a three round unanimous decision over Juliana Lima
• UFC 185(3/14/15) Esparza was stopped by Joanna Jedrzejczyk via strikes at 4:17 of the second round, losing her UFC women’s strawweight title
• TUF 20 Finale(12/12/14) Esparza submitted Rose Namajunas via rear naked choke at 1:26 of the third round to win the UFC women’s strawweight title
• The Ultimate Fighter, Season 20
• On episode 12 (semifinals), Esparza won a three round unanimous decision over Jessica Penne
• On episode 11 (quarterfinals), Esparza won a two round decision over Tecia Torres
• On episode four, Esparza submitted Angela Hill via rear naked choke at 3:41 of the first round

IMPORTANT FACTS

Team Pettis on TUF 20
Pro since 2010
Has won 15 of her last 21
Four wins by KO, four by submission (4 RNC)
Three first round finishes
Owns victories over Nina Ansaroff, Felice Herrig, and Bec Rawlings
Retiring after fight with Tecia Pennington at UFC 307

Q & A

Q: When and why did you start training for fighting?
ANSWER: In between wrestling seasons I started training jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai which I loved, then when I found out about MMA. It just made sense for me.
Q: Training:
ANSWER: I get about three workouts a day in. It varies from day to day. One session in the am, a run or strength & conditioning, then my last session at night.What ranks and titles have you held?First Invicta FC strawweight champ, former UFC women’s strawweight champion, TUF 20 winnerDo you have any heroes?My college wrestling coach and 2x Olympian Lee Allen (RIP).What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC?Fighting for the UFC is a dream come true. I never thought it would be a possibility for women at all.Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn?I went to college and wrestled for four years, earning a degree in business with a concentration in sports management.What was your job before you started fighting?I finished my college degree and went straight to fighting and personal training.Favorite grappling technique:RNCFavorite Striking technique:Flying elbow

STRIKING ANALYSIS

STRIKING ACCURACY39%
STRIKING DEFENSE54%
LANDED/MIN
2.19
STRIKES PER MINUTE
ABSORBED/MIN
2.87
STRIKES ABSORBED PER MINUTE

GRAPPLING & WRESTLING

TAKEDOWN ACCURACY36%
TAKEDOWN DEFENSE47%
TAKEDOWNS/FIGHT
3.28
15 MIN AVERAGE
SUBMISSIONS/FIGHT
0.3
15 MIN AVERAGE

GENERAL ANALYSIS

UFC RECORD
10 W - 6 L
ACTIVE STREAK
-2 Losses
WIN BREAKDOWN
Knockout (KO)1
Submission1
Decision8
LOSS BREAKDOWN
Knockout (KO)2
Submission1
Decision3
FIGHTING STYLE Mixed Martial Arts
STANCE Orthodox
UFC DEBUT Dec. 12, 2014