Tag: Carla Esparza

Fighters React To Esparza’s Lackluster Win Over Namajunas At UFC 274

Carla Esparza regained her women’s strawweight title in what was an absolute fizzer against Rose Namajunas at UFC 274 this evening. Both fighters, who were regularly booed throughout the encounter, now hold the dubious honor of having participated in perhaps the most boring fight in UFC history. Esparza edged out a split decision victory in…

Continue Reading Fighters React To Esparza’s Lackluster Win Over Namajunas At UFC 274 at MMA News.

Carla Esparza regained her women’s strawweight title in what was an absolute fizzer against Rose Namajunas at UFC 274 this evening.

Both fighters, who were regularly booed throughout the encounter, now hold the dubious honor of having participated in perhaps the most boring fight in UFC history. Esparza edged out a split decision victory in the end, however it could have gone either way given the inactivity of both fighters.

The biggest and perhaps only highlight of the fight came in round four, when Esparza almost took Namajunas’ back. The 34-year-old also landed a few ineffectual takedowns throughout the fight, which ultimately swayed the judges to hand her the victory. It was the sixth successive win for Esparza, who now holds the strawweight belt that she lost to Joanna J?drzejczyk in 2014.

You can catch some of the footage from the co-main event below.

Now, let’s see how fighters reacted to Esparza’s victory over Namajunas at UFC 274.

UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje Results & Highlights

MMA News is providing ongoing coverage of UFC 274. We’ve got you covered with live results, video highlights, and post-fight tidbits.

Continue Reading Fighters React To Esparza’s Lackluster Win Over Namajunas At UFC 274 at MMA News.

Carla Esparza Clinches Title In Uneventful Rematch With Rose Namajunas – UFC 274 Highlights

Carla EsparzaInaugural UFC and Invicta FC strawweight champion, Carla Esparza mints herself as the new undisputed strawweight champion, defeating Rose Namajunas with a split decision victory, albeit, in one of the most forgettable fights in the history of the organization. Co-headlining UFC 274, Namajunas, who had previously suffered a submission loss to Esparza in the inaugural […]

Carla Esparza

Inaugural UFC and Invicta FC strawweight champion, Carla Esparza mints herself as the new undisputed strawweight champion, defeating Rose Namajunas with a split decision victory, albeit, in one of the most forgettable fights in the history of the organization.

Co-headlining UFC 274, Namajunas, who had previously suffered a submission loss to Esparza in the inaugural strawweight title fight in December 2014, failed to land really anything significant over the course of five entire rounds against Esparza — who managed to force the champion to fight from the outside, and at least force some activity as she engaged in takedown attempts on multiple occasions.

During her time in between rounds, amid the ongoing boos and jeers, Namajunas was urged to continue with her cautious approach by her partner and corner person, Pat Barry — who explained that his student was doing everything right, resulting in the slew of boos from the Footprint Center attendees.

Managing to become a two-time undisputed strawweight champion, Team Oyama staple, Carla Esparza explained that she could only press and force as much action as possible given the lack of activity and counters to work with from Namajunas.

Below, catch the highlights from Carla Esparza’s second career win over Rose Namajunas

Andrade Lends Thorough Analysis & Prediction For Namajunas/Esparza 2

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade has given her prediction for tonight’s 115-pound title fight between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza. After a split decision defeat to “Thug Rose” in 2020, Andrade ventured back to flyweight for three outings as a 125lber. After two victories and a failed crack at dethroning Valentina Shevchenko, the…

Continue Reading Andrade Lends Thorough Analysis & Prediction For Namajunas/Esparza 2 at MMA News.

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade has given her prediction for tonight’s 115-pound title fight between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza.

After a split decision defeat to “Thug Rose” in 2020, Andrade ventured back to flyweight for three outings as a 125lber. After two victories and a failed crack at dethroning Valentina Shevchenko, the Brazilian returned to her old stomping ground in some style last month.

In the UFC Vegas 52 main event, Andrade submitted rising contender Amanda Lemos with the first standing arm-triangle choke in UFC history.

Having returned to the division and firmly announced herself as a part of the strawweight title picture, Andrade will have a close eye on the next championship fight in the weight class, which is set for less than two weeks’ time.

Andrade: People Underestimate Namajunas’ Ground Game

At UFC 274 tonight in Phoenix, Arizona, the sophomore defense of Rose Namajunas’ second reign on the strawweight throne will co-feature, and will see her look to avenge a past loss to number one contender and former titleholder Carla Esparza.

Despite holding a submission victory over the reigning queen and riding a mightily-impressive five-fight win streak into her third championship fight in the UFC, Esparza is being widely regarded as a large underdog. According to Jéssica Andrade, there’s good reason for that.

During her appearance at the UFC Vegas 52 post-fight press conference, “Bate Estaca” provided some analysis and a prediction for the UFC 274 co-main event. After claiming that Namajunas’ ground game, which was on display in her rematch against Zhang Weili last November, is underrated by most, Andrade suggested that the champ will comfortably retain the belt on the scorecards.

“As much as Carla is relentless with her takedowns, she has an amazing top game, people sometimes maybe underestimate how good Rose is on the ground,” claimed Andrade. “She has been for a long, long time. When I was fighting her, there were like 10 takedown attempts that I tried, that she would go straight to a submission from there. She brings danger no matter where she is.

“She (Namajunas) does have the reach advantage. She’s gonna be fighting on the bigger cage, so I think it’s gonna be tough for Carla to find her there,” added Andrade. “I don’t see her finishing Carla, but I see this fight going the five rounds, with a wide margin for Rose.”

Having jumped straight back into the strawweight mix at #5 following her dominant victory over compatriot Lemos, Andrade will be looking to secure a date with the champ soon enough. Given that her series with Namajunas is tied at 1-1, perhaps she’ll be supporting “Thug Rose” on May 7 in the hope of securing a future trilogy showdown.

Do you agree with Jéssica Andrade? Will Rose Namajunas successfully defend the strawweight gold at UFC 274?

Continue Reading Andrade Lends Thorough Analysis & Prediction For Namajunas/Esparza 2 at MMA News.

Esparza Explains Why She’ll Feel Like A Winner Regardless Of UFC 274

Former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza is past the point of taking losses too harshly at this stage of her career. Esparza will face strawweight queen Rose Namajunas in the UFC 274 co-main event tonight. The matchup has been in the works for months, and Esparza has a win over Namajunas from earlier in their…

Continue Reading Esparza Explains Why She’ll Feel Like A Winner Regardless Of UFC 274 at MMA News.

Former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza is past the point of taking losses too harshly at this stage of her career.

Esparza will face strawweight queen Rose Namajunas in the UFC 274 co-main event tonight. The matchup has been in the works for months, and Esparza has a win over Namajunas from earlier in their careers.

Esparza is also scheduled to get married next week, just days after her long-awaited strawweight title shot.

During a recent interview with ESPN, Esparza explained how her perspective has changed since her previous strawweight title reign.

“Yeah, most definitely. It’s really reassuring to know that, hey, no matter what, I’m still committing to the person that I love and I get to spend the rest of my life with,” Esparza said. “It is a really special moment for me. Hopefully, I have these two huge victories, but I mean, either way, I just feel really grateful with everything that I have in my life.”

Esparza defeated Namajunas for the then-vacant strawweight title at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale back in 2014. She would go on to lose her title to Joanna J?drzejczyk in her first defense at UFC 185 via second-round knockout.

More than seven years later, Esparza has managed to work her way back to potentially earning UFC gold. She’s won five in a row, including most recently against Marina Rodriguez and Yan Xiaonan.

Regardless of the outcome at UFC 274, it’s safe to say that Esparza is in a great place in her life and doesn’t need another strawweight title for long-term happiness.

Do you think Carla Esparza will pull off the upset against Rose Namajunas?

Continue Reading Esparza Explains Why She’ll Feel Like A Winner Regardless Of UFC 274 at MMA News.