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Yan Xiaonan Reveals What She Learned From Carla Esparza Defeat

Ahead of her next battle against Marina Rodriguez, Yan Xiaonan reflects on her recent defeat against Carla Esparza. Last May, Xiaonan saw her 11-fight win streak come to an end. The “Cookie Monster” devastated her in the cage with punches that ended the fight in round 2. Carla Esparza is a fierce opponent in the…

Continue Reading Yan Xiaonan Reveals What She Learned From Carla Esparza Defeat at MMA News.

Ahead of her next battle against Marina Rodriguez, Yan Xiaonan reflects on her recent defeat against Carla Esparza.

Last May, Xiaonan saw her 11-fight win streak come to an end. The “Cookie Monster” devastated her in the cage with punches that ended the fight in round 2.

Carla Esparza is a fierce opponent in the Octagon. Even the current strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas, was finished by Esparza when they fought back in 2014.

Similar to Namajunas, Xiaonan felt the loss was a lesson and showed where improvements need to be made.

Carla Esparza and Yan Xiaonan, Photo Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

“The biggest lesson is you have to be ready for a big fight like that. 100% ready. Another lesson is the direction—how you prepare for the fight. So, we had some problems on that in my last fight camp. So, yeah, everything, I learned a little bit of everything in that fight,” Xiaonan told LowKickMMA.

Most fighters will tell you that preparation for a fight is more important than the fight itself. You have to go into the ring mentally and physically fit enough to defeat your opponent.

A bad day can lead to a bad fight just as well as being undertrained. But losing can also be a humbling experience, and many fighters have come back stronger from it.

This Saturday, Xiaonan will face Brazil’s Marina Rodriguez at UFC 272. They hold spots in the top 5 of the strawweight rankings, and after their match, one will be much closer to the title shot.

What are your thoughts on how Yan Xiaonan reflects on her loss to Carla Esparza?

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Rose Namajunas Says She Needed To Lose To Carla Esparza In 2014

Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas recently reflected on her loss to former champion Carla Esparza in an interview with UFC’s “Run It Back” series on Youtube.

In 2014, Namajunas and Esparaza made it to the final round of the TUF 20 finale, where t…

Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas recently reflected on her loss to former champion Carla Esparza in an interview with UFC’s “Run It Back” series on Youtube.

In 2014, Namajunas and Esparaza made it to the final round of the TUF 20 finale, where they held the inaugural strawweight championship. There, Esparza became the first strawweight champion in the company’s history, submitting Namajunas in the third round via rear-naked choke.

This was just the 22-year-old’s second loss in her fourth professional fight, but with it being on the biggest stage, she has learned a lot from the loss and reflected on it again recently.

“Man, I just had to stop being an a**hole. No I mean, not that, but just like be, have self-awareness you know what I mean like, I was just kinda floating through life and just no direction with anything. I needed a piece of the humble pie, ya know,” said Namajunas.

Since her title loss to Esparza in 2014, Namajunas went on to win six of her next seven fights, while capturing the strawweight title in 2017 as she TKO’d Joanna J?drzejczyk in dramatic fashion at UFC 217. Her first title defense would be another rematch victory over J?drzejczyk via unanimous decision at UFC 223.

Namajunas would taste defeat for the first time nearly three years later from her last loss as she was slammed unconscious by former champion, Jéssica Andrade. Again, Rose was victorious in their rematch over a year later at UFC 251.

The Zhang Weili Chapter

Rose Namajunas Zhang Weili — Photo via Instagram @espnmma

Zhang Weili secured the strawweight title as she made quick work of Andrade for what would have been Andrade’s first and only title defense as she TKO’d Andrade in under a minute in her home country of China. Weili’s first title defense would be a fight against Namajunas.

Namajunas showed improvements in her game again and rose to the occasion, as she TKO’d Weili in the first round at UFC 261, securing the title for her second time. Namajunas would then defeat Zhang again at UFC 268 and is a perfect 3-0 in rematches.

The next rematch for Namajunas is the one with Esparza, which is what Namajunas and the UFC are eyeing as they are working on making that fight official. Esparza is currently on a five-fight win streak and boasts an impressive 18-6 record. And she, too, would of course love to secure UFC gold again.

Who do you think will win the rematch between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza?

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VIDEO | Carla Esparza Cut Following Head Clash At Fury Grappling 3

The Fury Grappling 3 event last night had a few surprising results including four current fighters on the UFC roster going down with a loss. Former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza, along with welterweights Donald Cerrone, Neil Magny, and Kevin Holland were all defeated in Philadelphia. Esparza was busted open and required stitches above her […]

The Fury Grappling 3 event last night had a few surprising results including four current fighters on the UFC roster going down with a loss.

Former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza, along with welterweights Donald Cerrone, Neil Magny, and Kevin Holland were all defeated in Philadelphia. Esparza was busted open and required stitches above her eye after receiving a nasty gash during a slam where her and Danielle Kelly’s heads collided on the way down.

Esparaza’s gash is cause for concern as she is lined up to fight for the Strawweight title against Rose Namajunas sometime in the first half of 2022. Although the injury does not appear to be serious enough to cancel the unannounced title bout.

“Sorry guys, accidental head butt on a slam led to a cut and a stop in the match. In good spirits!” Esparza wrote on Instagram. “Just gotta get a couple stitches. Thanks so much Fury Grappling for having me, and Danielle Kelly for the match.”

How will Carla Esparza do against Rose Namajunes in 2022?

Carla Esparza Confirmed For Next Shot At Rose Namajunas

Former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza will get her rematch with the current champ, Rose Namajunas in 2022, as confirmed by UFC president Dana White. White announced it during a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. No date has been scheduled for the matchup but a formal booking could come within the next few months. […]

Former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza will get her rematch with the current champ, Rose Namajunas in 2022, as confirmed by UFC president Dana White.

White announced it during a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. No date has been scheduled for the matchup but a formal booking could come within the next few months.

Esparza became the first-ever UFC women’s strawweight champion when she defeated Namajunas for the belt in 2014. The bout was part of The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale.

Esparza went on to lose her belt to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185 and has remained in contention ever since. She’s been on a roll over the past couple of years with five-straight wins over the likes of Marina Rodriguez, Michelle Waterson, and most recently against Yan Xiaonan.

Namajunas most recently defended her belt against Zhang Weili at UFC 268 in a title rematch. She won the bout via split-decision after knocking her out earlier this year.

Carla Esparza Has Been Vouching For A Title Shot For Months

Esparza has been vocal about the next strawweight title shot since her last win over Xiaonan in May. She hasn’t fought since and has been holding out for the rematch with Namajunas.

White has been on the record in the past, stating that Esparza isn’t playing it smartly by waiting for the title shot. By the time she more than likely gets the Namajunas rematch, it’ll be about a year since her last octagon appearance.

Esparza is mostly known for her strong grappling skills but also has showcased solid striking against some of the best in the division. Namajunas has shown some weakness with her takedown defense, as recently evidenced in her last fight with Weili.

The upcoming Esparza/Namajunas booking will bring clarity to a relatively stacked strawweight title picture.

What is your prediction for Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza 2?

Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza 2 Is “100 Percent” Next Per Dana White

According to Dana White, the next strawweight title bout is in the works.

Rose Namajunas is quickly proving that she could be the long-term face of the UFC’s strawweight division. She has now defended her title and already has her next opponent lin…

According to Dana White, the next strawweight title bout is in the works.

Rose Namajunas is quickly proving that she could be the long-term face of the UFC’s strawweight division. She has now defended her title and already has her next opponent lined up.

According to UFC President Dana White, Namajunas’ next title challenger will be none other than the first strawweight champion, Carla Esparza.

“Carla Esparza (is next),” White told ESPN. “100 percent.”

This should not come as a shock since Namajunas has been asking for Esparza since her win and vice versa. Esparza is currently on a five-fight winning streak. Her last win came over Yan Xiaonan in May. Since then, Esparza has been waiting for her shot at the belt. Now, her time is coming, and the bout with Namajunas will be a familiar one.

Namajunas and Esparza were both members of The Ultimate Fighter Season 20. Both made it to the finale, and it was Esparza who walked away with the win over Namajunas and the belt wrapped around her waist. She later lost the belt to Joanna J?drzejczyk.

Namajunas’s skills have grown immensely in the years after her first fight with Esparza. Since this loss, she has had 11 fights in the UFC and has finished five of those opponents.

Since Esparza lost her title, Namajunas has won it, lost it, and won it again. She is continuing to prove that she is one of the best in the world at 115 pounds. She now holds wins over every other former strawweight champion except Esparza. If she can beat Esparza, perhaps she can claim the title of UFC strawweight GOAT.

Do you think Carla Esparza will have what it takes to dethrone Rose Namajunas when they meet for the second time?

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Carla Esparza: J?drzejczyk Rematch Would Be A “Different Fight”

UFC women’s strawweight contender Carla Esparza is open to facing Joanna J?drzejczyk again and believes their rematch would play out a lot differently.

Not many members of the UFC roster are in better form than Esparza. The UFC’s inaugural 115-poun…

UFC women’s strawweight contender Carla Esparza is open to facing Joanna J?drzejczyk again and believes their rematch would play out a lot differently.

Not many members of the UFC roster are in better form than Esparza. The UFC’s inaugural 115-pound champion has followed up consecutive 2018 losses to Cláudia Gadelha and Tatiana Suarez with five straight victories. Not many active winning streaks boast the amount of top contenders that Esparza’s does.

On the scorecards, “Cookie Monster” defeated Virna Jandiroba, Alexa Grasso, Michelle Waterson, and Marina Rodriguez. Most recently, Esparza shot herself into title contention with a dominant TKO win against surging Chinese top five Yan Xiaonan, for which she earned a Performance of the Night bonus.

In the eyes of Esparza, and the majority of the MMA community, the next step in the division is clear. In a rematch seven years in the making, most believe the former champ should challenge Rose Namajunas for the gold. The pair made up the first strawweight title fight in UFC history at the culmination of The Ultimate Fighter 20 season.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWCOX1bPf1Z/

Esparza Could Be Set For Her First-Ever Rematch

Despite her obvious credentials and place as the top contender, there is seemingly some hesitancy from the UFC and Dana White to grant Carla Esparza the shot, possibly due to her decision not to take White’s advice to stay active and not wait for the title fight. According to Mackenzie Dern, Esparza turned down the opportunity to face her.

While she’s obviously maintaining her sights on the belt, Esparza is also willing to line up another name for her first rematch in the promotion. After defeating “Thug Rose,” the 34-year-old immediately lost the strawweight strap in her first defense against Joanna J?drzejczyk. A second-round TKO marked the quick demise of her reign.

Now, in an interview with MMA Fighting, Esparza has spoken about the possibility of a second meeting in the Octagon with the Polish star. Suggesting she’s a much-improved fighter than the Esparza who lost in 2015, “Cookie Monster” insisted a rematch with J?drzejczyk would have a different result.

“I think at some point in my career, I’ve never actually had a rematch with anybody let alone coming off a loss. I think I’m a very different fighter from when that fight happened.

“I definitely at some point would like to fight her again. I think it would be a much different fight.”

Weili Zhang Joanna Jedrzejczyk — Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

J?drzejczyk, who defended the title five times after dethroning Esparza, hasn’t been in action since a Fight of the Year loss to former champ Zhang Weili last March. The 34-year-old has made her desire to make her way back to the top of the weight class known, and recently revealed she’s targeting a March or April return.

Despite maintaining that she’s deserving of a championship opportunity, Esparza admitted she’d certainly face J?drzejczyk again in order to further “earn” her way to the strawweight mountaintop.

“I thought for me the best was Rose and I fighting and then Weili and Joanna fighting for a No. 1 contender’s spot,” Esparza explained. “I thought that’s what really made sense in my fan brain of exciting matchups and what makes sense

“I would definitely fight [Joanna] again. You want to be at the top, you’ve got to earn your way there.”

How do you think a second fight between Carla Esparza and Joanna J?drzejczyk would play out?

Continue Reading Carla Esparza: J?drzejczyk Rematch Would Be A “Different Fight” at MMA News.