UFC: Carla Esparza makes case for title fight with Rose Namajunas, ‘this is genuine respect’
- Esparza defeated Namajunas by submission in the UFC’s inaugural strawweight title fight in 2014
- ‘Fate had us cross paths when we created this division and I’m proud we are both still here at the top of it,’ says ‘The Cookie Monster’
Carla Esparza believes she should be next in line for a crack at “Thug” Rose Namajunas and the UFC strawweight title.
Esparza and Namajunas, natives of California and Colorado respectively, have met once previously, back in 2014. The bout served as the finale of season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter and the first strawweight title fight in UFC history. Esparza, who was 9-2 at the time, defeated Namajunas, who was just 2-1 overall, by third-round submission.
Esparza then surrendered her title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her first defence. Jedrzejczyk defended the title a record five times before her reign ended with a first-round knockout loss to Namajunas.
Today, the 32-year-old Esparza (18-6) is riding back-to-back victories over Virna Jandiroba, Alexa Grasso, Michelle Waterson, Marina Rodriguez, and Chinese star Yan Xiaonan, all of whom are ranked in the top 15 of their current divisions.
With those wins behind her, “The Cookie Monster” has developed an appetite for gold.