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Joanna Jedrzejczyk: Carla Esparza Must Prove She Is ‘Championship Level’

Carla Esparza is back in the title mix. The former UFC Strawweight Champion, Esparza, first won the inaugural title after having defeated Rose Namajunas in the The Ultimate Fighter 18 finale. The crown wouldn’t stay on her for long as Polish striker Joanna Jedrzejczyk knocked her out in her first title defense. A few bumps […]

Carla Esparza is back in the title mix.

The former UFC Strawweight Champion, Esparza, first won the inaugural title after having defeated Rose Namajunas in the The Ultimate Fighter 18 finale. The crown wouldn’t stay on her for long as Polish striker Joanna Jedrzejczyk knocked her out in her first title defense.

A few bumps along the way wouldn’t stop Esparza from going back on the road to gold.

“The Cookie Monster” would snack on a streak of 5 straight wins, currently the longest streak held in the division. A win over top contender Yan Xiaonan a few weeks ago would place her in title talks with rivaled champ Rose Namajunas.

While the case for a title shot was made clear by the campaigning Esparza, it is still unsure who will be next in line for Namajunas. Dana White is debating between her and recently dethroned champ Zhang Weili.

A person of interest that comes to mind when discussing these the elite names is former champ, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who has fought all three women inside the Octagon. ‘JJ’ has been sitting around, waiting for a title shot herself. In doing so, she would find some time to break down the current title picture at 115lbs.

“Congrats to Carla.” Joanna told MMA Island. “I’m happy that she has so many straight wins and she’s on this winning patch. Congrats, I’m happy for her because Xiaonan was not an easy opponent.

Though Jedrzejczyk praised her former foe on the win, she isn’t too sure it will warrant a title rematch against ‘Thug Rose’.

“I don’t know what’s next. It’s up to the UFC matchmakers and of course Rose Namajunas. It depends what she’s trying to do next, who she will fight next and what she decides. I don’t know.

“I feel like me or Weili Zhang could be a better matchup for Rose [Namajunas].” Jedrzejczyk continued. “Of course, I don’t want to take anything from Carla Esparza. I don’t know, maybe me or Weili Zhang, Carla could face one of us and see if she is really on this championship level.”

Do you want to see Joanna Jedrzejczyk rematch Carla Esparza?

Joanna J?drzejczyk Dismisses Carla Esparza As Next SW Title Contender

Former champ Joanna J?drzejczyk is not a big fan of the idea of champion Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza running their fight back again. J?drzejczyk last stepped in the Octagon in March of 2020 at UFC 248 where she lost a split decision in a shoo-in f…

Continue Reading Joanna J?drzejczyk Dismisses Carla Esparza As Next SW Title Contender at MMA News.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk: Weili Zhang Or Myself Should Fight For Title Next Over Carla Esparza

Joanna Jedrzejczyk believes only herself or Weili Zhang should face Rose Namajunas next. Carla Esparza is coming off a second-round TKO win over Yan Xioanan which put her on a five-fight winning streak. The former champion has since called for a fight with Namajunas as she believes she’s deserving of a title fight at this […]

Joanna Jedrzejczyk believes only herself or Weili Zhang should face Rose Namajunas next.

Carla Esparza is coming off a second-round TKO win over Yan Xioanan which put her on a five-fight winning streak. The former champion has since called for a fight with Namajunas as she believes she’s deserving of a title fight at this point.

However, nothing is guaranteed yet.

“I know he was definitely impressed with the fight,” Esparza said of UFC president Dana White. “But you want to hear those words ‘You got the fight, it’s your fight’. So until I hear those words, I’m not going to count my chickens before they hatch. But I’m hopeful.

“There are talks of it going to Weili too, but that fight doesn’t make sense. It’s not like she’s had 5-10 title defenses and she lost in a fluke. I don’t think she’s in a place to ask for an immediate rematch, but I think she’s a great fighter.”

Zhang, of course, lost her women’s strawweight title to Namajunas last month and many believe she will get an immediate rematch. Jedrzejczyk — who hasn’t competed since a close defeat to Zhang in their UFC 248 war last year — is another option.

And as far as Jedrzejczyk is concerned, Esparza isn’t as deserving as them.

“This is what she thinks,” she told The Schmo (via Middle Easy). “She has a winning streak but I think the next challenger should be JJ or Weili Zhang. This is what I agree to.

“Both fights are possible and are very interesting not only for me, but for the other girls — Rose or Weili Zhang — for the UFC and the fans so we’ll see what’s going to happen next.”

Whether she gets the fight herself remains to be seen. However, Jedrzejczyk is ready to compete as she has been training for a while now.

“I’ve been training really hard for the last months, even twice a day,” she added. “… I manage my daily schedule, routine for training. … Of course, I feel this fire and I’m very motivated to fight very soon.”

Carla Esparza Hits The Campaign Trail For Strawweight Title Shot

Carla Esparza is hopeful that the UFC will grant her a title shot. The former strawweight champion is waiting anxiously to be the next challenger to the newly crowned two-time UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas after dominating Yan Xiaonan in her …

Continue Reading Carla Esparza Hits The Campaign Trail For Strawweight Title Shot at MMA News.

Dana White Remains Coy On Granting Carla Esparza Title Shot

Dana White was impressed by Carla Esparza’s demolition of Yan Xiaonan but remains undecided on granting her a title shot next. Esparza made a compelling case for facing champ Rose Namajunas after making light work of #3-ranked straweight Xiaonan in the…

Continue Reading Dana White Remains Coy On Granting Carla Esparza Title Shot at MMA News.

Dana White: Carla Esparza Or Zhang Weili Will Get Next 115lb Title Shot

Despite Carla Esparza’s dominant performance on Saturday, Dana White doesn’t know if she’ll fight for the strawweight title next. Esparza capped off a 5 fight win streak with a second-round stoppage over Yan Xiaonan. It was perhaps the best performance of Esparza’s UFC career, and added another impressive name during a run that includes Michelle […]

Despite Carla Esparza’s dominant performance on Saturday, Dana White doesn’t know if she’ll fight for the strawweight title next.

Esparza capped off a 5 fight win streak with a second-round stoppage over Yan Xiaonan. It was perhaps the best performance of Esparza’s UFC career, and added another impressive name during a run that includes Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez, among others. Given that she is undefeated since 2019 while facing some of the toughest competition in the division, many assumed it would be enough to earn her a shot at regaining the strawweight title.

However, according to White, her current streak combined with the fact that she holds a victory over current champion Rose Namajunas still might not be enough for a title opportunity. With former champ Zhang Weili calling for a rematch, White is unsure what fight to make next (H/T MMA Fighting).

“She looked like a beast tonight,” White said about Esparza on the UFC Vegas 27 post-fight show. “She came out and absolutely dominated. You can tell by the way she was fighting that she was trying to make a statement. Statement made. Message received. We see you.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do next. If we do the rematch (with Zhang Weili) or if we give it to her.”

Given how dominant Esparza has looked as of late, it’s hard to see her get passed up for a title shot. While Zhang had an impressive run up to and during her title reign, she only had one title defense and was stopped by Namajunas in just over 1 minute. On top of that, it would make sense that Namajunas would want the chance to run back her 2014 fight against Esparza, which was for the inaugural strawweight championship.

white will no doubt spend the next few weeks deciding which route to take before making any official. Even if she isn’t offered the title fight next, Esparza sits in the most comfortable spot in her career since she held the belt.

Who do you think Dana White should book for the next title fight? Zhang or Esparza?