The Ultimate Fighter Season 20 is over and done with. As its name suggested, a champion was crowned, as Carla Esparza received a shiny new belt and was declared the UFC’s first-ever strawweight champion. Rose Namajunas, meanwhile, became the first fighter to fall short of the UFC’s 115-pound strap.
Ten other fighters won. Ten other fighters lost. Other people who didn’t even enter the cage were impacted by the fights Friday night.
The biggest winner of all, as one would expect, was Esparza. While a great deal can be extrapolated from any given UFC event, the label of “UFC champion” still counts a great deal for her present and future as a fighter. While Namajunas entered the cage as the favorite, Esparza quickly reminded everyone that the “top strawweight” discussion starts, and likely ends, with her.
The biggest loser, however, was not Namajunas. No, she still has a bright future ahead of her and, someday, will likely become a champion. The biggest loser in all this was the UFC.
The UFC’s struggles when it comes to building stars are well-known. Namajunas, through The Ultimate Fighter alone, got over with fans in a profound way. With her looks, skills and savagery, she could have been an honest-to-goodness overnight star with a win. Alas, she came up well short of victory, and the UFC now has another fighter who has little appeal beyond the fact that she owns a UFC belt.
Who else won Friday night? Who else lost? Read on.