Carla Esparza dealt with a horrible looking eyebrow injury but still got the win
Carla Esparza proved how tough she is by dealing with an eyebrow injury yet winning her fight at UFC Fight Island.
The 32-year-old was up against Marina Rodriguez and got the split decision in the end. She was hurt bad by Rodriguez early on and suffered a horrible looking injury right above her eye.
It had blown up and bulged out of her forehead and this was a target for Rodriguez too. Esparza also bled from this area as it was cut up and the doctors had to work hard to keep the bleeding in control.
Nevertheless, this didn鈥檛 stop Esparza from carrying on and the fight went all the way.
BY SPLIT DECISION! 馃棧
馃崻 @CarlaEsparza1 gets the win on Fight Island.#InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi | #UFCFightIsland3 pic.twitter.com/J5nMCkilm1
— UFC (@ufc) July 26, 2020
Even after the fight as the results were being shared, you could see the damage Esparza was carrying.
This isn鈥檛 the first time something like this has happened in the Octagon. Fight Island had seen Rose Namajunas pick up a serious-looking injury, but she battled on for the win too.
Getting the Ws in
Esparza certainly survived some big hits but she got her fourth win on the trot. The win over Rodriguez moved her to 17 wins and six losses in her MMA career.
The 32-year-old was the inaugural UFC Women鈥檚 Strawweight champion and she defeated Rose Namajunas to get the crown.
However, she lost that to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her next fight at UFC 185. It will be interesting to see if she returns to the championship scene now given her winning streak.
The 32-year-old might have a few more top performances left in her, and she could still get another crack at the title.
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