Carla Esparza is expected to take her final steps into the Octagon when she takes on Tecia Pennington at UFC 307 on Saturday night.
No matter what the future holds, Esparza will always have a piece of UFC history. That’s because “Cookie Monster” defeated Rose Namajunas in the third round of the Ultimate Fighter 20 finals in December 2014 to become the promotion’s first strawweight champion. Esparza won’t soon forget this.
“Winning that historic title, the first strawweight title, was, and probably still is, the best feeling of my life,” Esparza recently told UFC.com.
“The night I became champion, the biggest memory that comes to mind is the finish and the feeling of, ‘Oh my god, my hand went up.’ It was an incredibly pure and happy moment, and that was the best feeling. Belt. After getting out there and meeting up with all of my teammates and friends. In “The Ultimate Fighter” I was able to fight alongside my teammates, including one of my best friends, Felice Herrig. ”
Namajunas had emerged as the favorite heading into the bout thanks to his performance at TUF 20, where he defeated all three of his opponents before facing Esparza.
“There was so much hype behind my opponent that I didn’t think I could handle her jiu-jitsu and I was really scared,” Esparza said. “My coach even told me between rounds, ‘It’s not as bad as I thought.'” It’s not as scary as I thought. Now that you understand this, keep doing what you are doing on the ground. I was really hard on myself going into the match, but I was able to dominate. ”
UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+. Order now!
Esparza will relinquish the strap to Joanna Jerzejczyk one fight later at UFC 185, but the Team Oyama representative will regain the title by defeating Namajunas in a rematch at UFC 274 in May 2022. It will be. Esparza believes her passion for the sport was her driving force. As long as she’s around, she’ll remain a top 115-pound contender.
“This is a constantly evolving game, and the love of being a student and learning new things and the passion for this sport continues to ignite within me,” she said. “This has made me better and better so that eight years later I can compete for this title again and win it.”
As Esparza prepares for retirement, he believes that while winning a UFC belt is a notable accomplishment, it does not define him.
“For me, being a champion is more than just putting a belt around your waist, it’s a mental thing,” Esparza said. “I think I’ve always been a champion, just waiting for a belt to come into my life. Being a champion doesn’t just mean a belt or a medal. There’s so much more. It’s a mentality. It’s a lifestyle, a way of carrying yourself every day.”
