Former women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza hoped for the storybook ending at UFC 307. While she didn’t get it, she now leaves the sport with a decorated and historic legacy.
On Saturday’s prelims at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Esparza (20-8 MMA, 10-6 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to Tecia Pennington (13-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC). The scorecards were 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27.
The fight was fast-paced, exciting, and close. Esparza worked all facets of her game, while Torres found tremendous success with leg kicks that debilitated Esparza by the bout’s end. Esparza scored a late takedown and some big ground-and-pound blows in the final seconds of Round 3, but it wasn’t enough to steal her the fight.
Upon the decision reading, the crowd voiced their displeasure with the decision as they drowned out Pennington’s post-fight speech with boos.
When it was time for Esparza to have the microphone, the crowd cheered in appreciation. With her young son dressed as Cookie Monster from “Sesame Street” in her arms, Esparza and UFC commentator Joe Rogan shared an emotional moment as the promotion played her a tribute highlight compilation on the big screen.
Esparza, 36, retires after 14 years of professional fighting, including nearly a decade in the UFC. She was the first-ever UFC women’s strawweight champion, winning gold in the “TUF 20” Finale against Rose Namajunas. She lost the title in her following bout against Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
It took Esparza seven years and 11 fights to get back to a championship opportunity for a second time. Once there, she made the most of it, though, as she defeated Rose Namajunas by split decision at UFC 274 in May 2022.
Like her first reign, the second ended without a title defense. She lost to Zhang Weili in her defense attempt at UFC 281 in November 2022.
After the loss, Esparza stepped away from fighting to give birth to her son, Donovan. Upon the initial announcement of Saturday’s bout, Esparza revealed the fight would be her last.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 307 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.
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