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Katlyn Chookagian To Namajunas/Esparza Critics: Why Don’t You Do It?

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Katlyn Chookagian has a message for the critics of the UFC 274 fight between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza. Esparza defeated Namajunas via split decision in the UFC 274 co-headliner. Chookagian is far from the first fighter to make her opinion known on the matchup, as Aljamain Sterling and Belal…

Continue Reading Katlyn Chookagian To Namajunas/Esparza Critics: Why Don’t You Do It? at MMA News.

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Katlyn Chookagian has a message for the critics of the UFC 274 fight between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza.

Esparza defeated Namajunas via split decision in the UFC 274 co-headliner. Chookagian is far from the first fighter to make her opinion known on the matchup, as Aljamain Sterling and Belal Muhammad are just a few of the other names who have weighed in.

UFC President Dana White also criticized the lack of volume and output in the Namajunas vs. Esparza fight. He alluded to the fact that fans aren’t clamoring for a third fight between the two strawweight pioneers happening anytime soon.

During her UFC Vegas 54 pre-fight press conference, Chookagian gave her thoughts on how the Namajunas/Esparza rematch played out.

“I feel kinda bad for the girls because it’s so easy to criticize them when no one’s been in there,” Chookagian said. “Sometimes it’s just the style matchups, it’s just the day. Both of those girls are not boring fighters, they’re there for a reason.

“I think it’s so easy to criticize them and say ‘Oh, it’s the most boring fight.’ W,ell you get in there and fight five rounds for the world title, and your whole life is worked up to that moment.”

“Sometimes you’re just physically not there, sometimes it’s the style matchups that call for a boring fight. Look at before that fight, they both had highlights that were amazing. So they’re not boring fighters, so I don’t think that they didn’t try. Sometimes it’s just the circumstances. There’s so many factors that go into it.

“I feel bad that they got so much criticism because they’re such amazing fighters, and I don’t feel like Carla got the full credit she deserves for winning that fight.”

Chookagian will face Amanda Ribas on the UFC Vegas 54 main card this weekend. She’s looking to move one step closer to another potential flyweight title shot.

The UFC 274 co-headliner fell way short of expectations, but Chookagian thinks fans and pundits criticizing Namajunas and Esparza should put themselves in their shoes.

Do you agree with Katlyn Chookagian’s comments?

Continue Reading Katlyn Chookagian To Namajunas/Esparza Critics: Why Don’t You Do It? at MMA News.

Esparza Targets “Sweet Revenge” Against J?drzejczyk

Having regained the title with a second victory over Rose Namajunas, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza has her sights set on another former opponent. At UFC 274 this past weekend, Esparza concluded her journey back to the top of the 115-pound weight class with a second dose of title glory. While it perhaps didn’t…

Continue Reading Esparza Targets “Sweet Revenge” Against J?drzejczyk at MMA News.

Having regained the title with a second victory over Rose Namajunas, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza has her sights set on another former opponent.

At UFC 274 this past weekend, Esparza concluded her journey back to the top of the 115-pound weight class with a second dose of title glory. While it perhaps didn’t come in the fashion she’d have hoped, both in terms of a convincing triumph and an entertaining one, “Cookie Monster” left Phoenix with gold in her possession nonetheless.

After 25 minutes of action (somewhat), Esparza fell on the right side of a split decision, marking her second victory over Namajunas, and making her only the second female fighter in the UFC to regain a title.

Now, having completed her rise back to the top by extending her win streak to six, Esparza is looking ahead to her next challenge: adding a first title defense to her résumé. To do so, she may well have to go through the same woman who prevented her from accomplishing it back in 2015.

Esparza: J?drzejczyk Rematch Would Be A Great Moment

After becoming the inaugural strawweight queen in 2014 with a submission victory over Namajunas, Esparza was tasked with adding the first blemish to the record of Joanna J?drzejczyk.

But at UFC 185, it took the Polish star less than 10 minutes to dispatch “Cookie Monster” via TKO. Miraculously, the pair could be on a collision course seven years later. During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Esparza relished the prospect of avenging her previous loss to J?drzejczyk.

“Yeah, I mean, most definitely (J?drzejczyk rematch would be perfect). That would be awesome,” said Esparza. “That would be such great moment, to really just come back and fight like, my fight, and I feel like I’ve come such a long way since then and she’s kinda been sitting on the sidelines, so I definitely feel like it would be a different fight. It would be like, what is it called? Sweet revenge or sweet justice, whatever you call it.”

For it to come to fruition, J?drzejczyk will need to take care of business when she returns to action next month.

At UFC 275, set for Singapore on June 11, the former champion will run it back with Zhang Weili. J?drzejczyk hasn’t fought since playing a big part in 2020’s Fight of the Year, which saw her fall short of capturing the Chinese 115lber’s title.

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Should J?drzejczyk exact revenge on “Magnum,” it stands to reason that we’ll be witnessing Esparza vs. J?drzejczyk 2 sometime later this year or in 2023. Who’d have expected that sentence in 2015?

Would you like to see Carla Esparza defend the title against Joanna J?drzejczyk if the Pole defeats Zhang Weili next month?

Continue Reading Esparza Targets “Sweet Revenge” Against J?drzejczyk at MMA News.

John McCarthy Blames Corner For ‘Fantastic’ Rose Namajunas’ Title Loss At UFC 274

Former mixed martial arts referee turned Bellator color commentator and podcast host, ‘Big’ John McCarthy has placed the blame on Rose Namajunas’ corner for her strawweight title loss to Carla Esparza at UFC 274 last weekend. Rose Namajunas, who attempted to avenge a December 2014 submission loss to inaugural strawweight champion, Esparza in the co-main […]

Rose Namajunas, who attempted to avenge a December 2014 submission loss to inaugural strawweight champion, Esparza in the co-main event of UFC 274, suffered a split decision loss to the Torrance native in the pair’s rematch, which has been labeled as one of the most forgettable title fights in Octagon history due to lack of activity.

Rose Namajunas became the first two-time strawweight champion in UFC history back in April of last year

Throughout the fight, however, Namajunas’ corner, Trevor Wittman, as well as partner and lead, Pat Barry – advised Namajunas that she was comfortably winning the fight against Esparza, with Barry notably claiming that the amount of boos and jeers Namajunas was receiving from the crowd at the Footprint Center backed up their successful gameplan.

Following the title loss, Namajunas claimed that she believed she had actually won the fight, due to her defensive approach, which limited the offensive ability of Esparza. However, the aforenoted, McCarthy believes Namajunas’ corner is to blame for their student’s championship dethroning.

“Cornermen need to stop telling their fighters they’re winning the round when they don’t know,” John McCarthy said on his podcast, Weighing In. “If it’s a close round, you gotta say, ‘Hey, no idea whose round that is.’ Or, ‘Hey, we’re gonna have to say we lost that because we don’t know where the judges are gonna go.’”

“You can’t sit there and fall in love with what your fighter is doing based upon, ‘Damn, they looked good…’” John McCarthy said. “Rose Namajunas looked fantastic in movement, her footwork, was beautiful. She was in control of the cage, as far as… she was comfortable and Carla (Esparza) doesn’t have that smooth, fluid style that Rose does, so she looks better.

McCarthy went as far as insisting that Namajunas was still the better fighter when compared with Esparza despite her performance, and her pair of losses against the current gold holder.

“She’s (Rose Namajunas) the better fighter,” John McCarthy said. “But her cornermen were not… Pat Barry and Trevor (Wittman), who I love, they were falling in love with, ‘Ok, now you have to show everyone, take your time, just be careful.’ And finally, it was, like, ‘Alright, show them you’re the best martial artist out there.” (Transcribed by Bloody Elbow)

As far as next title challengers for newly minted champion, Esparza, UFC president hinted that the victor of the upcoming UFC 275 rematch between former titleholders, Zhang Weili, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk would likely meet the Californian for gold next.

Stock Up, Stock Down: Pound-for-Pound Rankings After UFC 273

UFC 274 went down in front of a raucous crowd in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday night. That means it’s time for another update to B/R’s pound-for-pound UFC rankings…

Jessica Andrade Slams ‘Champion of Boredom’ Esparza For ‘Worst Fight in Strawweight History.

Jessica Andrade slams newly anointed strawweight champion, Carla Esparza, as the ‘champion of boredom’ following her win over Rose Namajunas at UFC 274. Last Saturday’s co-main event was host to an odd title fight, as Namajunas attempted to defend her title for the second time against former opponent, Esparza. In what most considered a dull […]

Jessica Andrade slams newly anointed strawweight champion, Carla Esparza, as the ‘champion of boredom’ following her win over Rose Namajunas at UFC 274.

Last Saturday’s co-main event was host to an odd title fight, as Namajunas attempted to defend her title for the second time against former opponent, Esparza. In what most considered a dull affair, with some even going as far as to call it ’embarrassing’ and even ‘the worst fight ever,’ the strawweight title bout was not what most wanted.

The 25-minute fight saw the pair land a combined 67 strikes (Namajunas-37, Esparza-30), and in rounds one and two, the highest number of strikes either landed was just four. ‘The Cookie Monster’ would eventually squeak out a split decision win, which would see her claim the title for the second time, as well as making it 2-0 against Namajunas.

Jessica Andrade Calls For Carla Esparza Fight

One person who also didn’t think much of ‘the stinker of all stinkers’ was former strawweight champion, ‘Bate Estaca’. Andrade would quickly take to Twitter to share her thoughts on the bout.

“I want to say that your fight yesterday was the worst in strawweight history, champion of boredom, I can’t wait to rip your head off. Congratulations on the boredom belt, but fans of this sport want to see a massacre, I’ll do!”- Jessica Andrade

After a trip up to flyweight where she would unsuccessfully attempt to dethrone long-time divisional ruler, Valentina Shevchenko, Andrade is back down at 115lb and already looking for a fight with the champion.

Andrade did once hold the title herself, winning the title back in 2019, capturing it via a dramatic slam K.O against then-champion Namajunas, but would drop the title just 112 days later in her first defense against Weili Zhang.

Who would win, Jessica Andrade or Carla Esparza?

7 Fights We Need to See After UFC 274

UFC 274 went down on Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona, and it opened the door to a bunch of exciting matchup possibilities—including one involving Conor McGregor …