Carla Esparza poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 24, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Carla Esparza might fight for the strawweight title next against her old rival Rose Namajunas
Carla Esparza put on a stunning show against Yan Xiaonan in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 188. The UFC mainstay handed Xiaonan her first-ever UFC loss, which also happened to be her first TKO loss in her professional MMA career.
Esparza was ranked number 4 in the strawweight division going into the fight, and is expected to move further up in the rankings, following her win.
She called out her old rival Rose Namajunas for a title defense fight, at the post-fight interview.
Now with Namajunas vs Zhang Weili rematch a possibility, UFC President Dana White addressed how the UFC would like to proceed in the women’s strawweight division.
At the UFC Fight Night Recap show with Heidi Androl, White said he was not sure about who Namajunas would face next.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do next. If we do the rematch [against Weili] or if we give it to her.”
Namajunas won the strawweight title at UFC 261 after knocking out champ Zhang Weili in the very first round. Weili’s team have been adamant about a rematch, while Namajunas is focused right now, on spending quality time with her family.
Esparza has a history against Namajunas. She defeated ‘Thug Rose’ at the Ultimate Fighter Season 20 finale, thereby winning the inaugural UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship.
Esparza earned a third round submission win via. rear naked choke, but went on lose her title in the very next fight of hers, against Joanna Jędrzejczyk. Since then, she has struggled to even land a title shot.
It will be an excellent fight to revisit if the UFC matches the old rivals.
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