Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza last fought in the season 20 finale of The Ulitmate Fighter. Eight years later they meet again at UFC 274.
On Dec. 12, 2014, Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza met in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter. The majority of TUF winners receive a contract to fight in the UFC. However, this finale had much more on the line. The winner of this fight would be the first-ever UFC strawweight champion. With all the pressure on the line, Esparza was able to submit Namajunas in the third round.
Eight years later, these fighters meet in the co-main event of UFC 274. Namajunas is now the champion and she is looking to get a win back over Esparza. Will Namajunas get her revenge on Esparza, or will Esparza become a two-time UFC strawweight champion?
Rose Namajunas vs Carla Esparza: Who walks out with gold at UFC 274
Esparza holds an MMA record of 19-6. She is currently on a five-fight win streak with wins over Marina Rodriguez, Michelle Waterson, and Yan Xiaonan. Esparza also holds victories over Alexa Grasso, Cynthia Calvillo, and Jessica Penne. Esparza’s wrestling has been a real issue for the rest of the strawweight division. Esparza’s 42 takedowns are the most in UFC strawweight history. She also has the most top position time in the division’s history at 54:54; 10 minutes more than second place.
The champ holds an MMA record of 12-4; ending eight of her fights by a finish. Her five finishes in the UFC are tied for the most in strawweight history. She’s managed to beat the best of the best during her UFC tenure. Namajunas has managed to defeat Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Zhang Weili twice. She also holds victories over Jessica Andrade, Tecia Torres, and Angela Hill.
These two are arguably some of the best the UFC strawweight division has ever seen. They’re both tied with Torres for second-most wins in UFC strawweight history with nine. Whoever wins this fight will be tied with Jedrzejczyk for most wins in the division’s history.
The big question heading into this fight is can Namajunas defend Esparza’s takedown? In their first encounter, Esparza was able to takedown Namajunas five times. Also, Weili was able to takedown Namajunas five times. Esparza could be the best wrestler to ever grace the division, as Namajunas knows. She does not want Esparza to have the fight in her world.
If the fight stays standing, the fight will be in Namajunas’s world. Her two knockouts of Weili and Jedrzejczyk prove she’s one of the best strikers in the division. This fight seems as if it’s our classic striker vs wrestler match-up. Esparza’s wrestling is a huge problem. However, Namajunas’s striking will be more of an issue. Her striking has improved so much since their first fight. She should be able to get Esparza out before the fights go to the scorecards.
Prediction: Namajunas by third round knock out