Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza isn’t exactly sure when she’ll return to the Octagon after losing her title at UFC 185 to Joanna Jedrzejczyk. But there are a few names more intriguing than others, not least of which is WSOF women’s strawweight champion Jessica Aguilar.
“I’d fight her, for sure,” Esparza told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s The MMA Hour. “I’d definitely be willing to fight her.”
For now, Aguilar isn’t going anywhere. She’s in the WSOF for the forseeable future, but if anything about her contractual situation were to change, Esparza is happy to welcome her to the Octagon.
There’s two reasons for that. First, Esparza lost to Aguilar via split decision at Bellator 46 in 2011. Second, there’s a personal dispute that needs to be handled.
“I saw her talk smack before my [UFC 185] fight,” she noted. “She’s saying like, ‘Even if Carla wins, guess who’s still no. 1?’ I’m like, ‘Get over yourself, girl.’
“You haven’t fought any of the top ten girls in, like, who knows how long. How can you even call yourself no. 1 if you fight people who aren’t even ranked? Who don’t give you a real challenge? Not to disrespect who she has fought. They’re game to fight and everything, but just as far as rankings go, do you feel like you’re really challenging yourself and can really call yourself no. 1? No, you cannot.”
Outside of how Aguilar deserves to be ranked, though, is another issue for Esparza. Specifically, Esparza believes Aguilar hasn’t achieved everything as cleanly as one should and believes the WSOF fighter has used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).
“I know she does some extra stuff, which I feel like she is a cheater, to be totally honest,” she claimed. “I’m trying to say that she’s a cheater and I don’t think because of what she’s done she can call herself no. 1 ever because of who she’s fought, even since she’s beaten me years ago. I feel like if you cheat then you never even won that fight, so whatever.
“I know for a fact, but I’m not going to get into that. It doesn’t really matter,” Esparza explained. “If she’s not getting popped or she hasn’t been tested, there’s not really anything anyone can say or do, so I’m not really going to sit here and harp on it. She’s talked so much trash on me, I almost feel like not even putting her on blast, but personally messaging her, ‘Really? How can you call yourself a martial artist and how can you sit here and talk trash on me and how you’re no. 1 if you’re going and doing these things?'”
Whatever her desire to get into the details of Aguilar’s alleged use of PEDs, Esparza is certain it has happened. And more to the point, is certain that it undercuts whatever claims Aguilar makes of herself.
“Oh, I know she was [using],” Esparza alleged. “Because a friend of mine told me that they personally gave her shots in her butt or whatever. Whatever, girl. You’re not no. 1. You’ve never been no. 1, so get over it.”
When contacted by MMAFighting.com, Aguilar declined to comment on Esparza’s allegations.