Carla Kristen Esparza (born October 10, 1987) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competes in the Strawweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC), in which she is a former two-time

UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

. Esparza was the first UFC Strawweight Champion, the first Invicta FC Strawweight Champion, and was generally considered the best Strawweight fighter in the world during both initial title reigns. She first earned the UFC championship by winning a 16-woman tournament that was televised on the reality series ''

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

''. She also competed in Bellator MMA's first women's tournament. As of November 15, 2022, she is #1 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings, and #6 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

Amateur and collegiate wrestling

Carla Esparza's foray into

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

(MMA) began when she started

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

for the varsity team during her junior year at

Redondo Union High School Redondo Union High School (RUHS) is a public high school in Redondo Beach, California. Redondo Union High School is a part of the Redondo Beach Unified School District. All residents of Redondo Beach are zoned to Redondo Union. In addition, resi ...

Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach (Spanish for ''round'') is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent beach cities along the southern portion of Sa ...

. After winning multiple local and national high-school wrestling tournaments, Esparza was awarded a scholarship to

Menlo College Menlo College is a private college specializing in business and is located in Atherton, California. Campus Menlo College is situated on 45-acre (0.18 km2) campus in Atherton, California, 25 miles southeast of San Francisco and 20 miles nort ...

, a NAIA Division school in northern California, to wrestle under coach and former two-time Olympian

Lee Allen Lee Allen may refer to: *Lee Allen (wrestler) (1934–2012), wrestler and coach * Lee Allen (baseball) (1915–1969), baseball historian *Lee Allen (musician) (1927–1994), saxophone player *Lee Allen (artist) Lee Allen (1910 – May 5, 2006), bor ...

. In 2008 and 2009, Esparza was a women's wrestling All-American with the Menlo Oaks. While in college, Esparza started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the Gracie Academy in Torrance under Rener, Ryron, and

Ralek Gracie Ralek Gracie (born October 4, 1985) is an American Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist. As the son of Rorion Gracie, he is a member of the Gracie family. He was awarded his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu by his grandfath ...

. She then expanded her mixed martial arts repertoire when she began training at Team Oyama during the summer of her junior year of college.

Mixed martial arts career

Bellator

In August 2010, only six months after her pro debut and with just three professional MMA fights, Esparza was called in by Bellator MMA as a last-minute replacement for

Angela Magaña Angela Magaña (born August 2, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is also known for competing on The Ultimate Fighter 20 for Team Melende ...

, who was forced to withdraw from her upcoming fight due to a foot injury. Esparza was inserted in the bracket of the Bellator Season 3 115 lb women's tournament at ''

Bellator 24 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and ...

''. On just three days' notice, Esparza's opponent in the quarterfinal round was the undefeated and then #1 pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world,

Megumi Fujii Megumi Fujii (藤井恵 ''Fujii Megumi'', born April 26, 1974) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist. Biography Fujii started Judo at the age of 3 due to her father's influence and continued Judo at Shukugawa Gakuin Junior High School a ...

. Esparza lost the fight to the heavily favored Fujii via second-round armbar submission. In June 2011, Esparza returned to the Bellator cage and faced fellow Season 3 tournament challenger

Jessica Aguilar Jessica Aguilar (born May 8, 1982) is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist who competes in RIZIN. At the time of her voluntary departure from World Series of Fighting, she was the reigning WSOF Women's Strawweight Champion. Aguilar previously ...

at ''

Bellator 46 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

''. After a three-round back and forth battle, Aguilar defeated Esparza via split decision.

XFC and MEZ Sports

On December 2, 2011, Esparza made her XFC debut against

Felice Herrig Felice Nicole Herrig (born September 18, 1984) is an American retired kickboxer, Muay Thai fighter, and mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the strawweight division. Background Herrig was born in Buf ...

at '' XFC 15: Tribute'' in Tampa, Florida. She defeated Herrig via unanimous decision. Three months later, Esparza was scheduled to face Angela Magana at ''Pandemonium VI'' for the MEZ Sports women's flyweight title. Unfortunately, Magana was involved in a car accident on the day of the fight while in transit to the

Riverside Convention Center The Riverside Convention Center is a convention center in downtown Riverside, California. The convention center hosts conventions and events in 70,000 sq. ft. of total meeting space and 30,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space. It has 26 meeting rooms wit ...

, where the event was being staged. Magana re-broke her back in the collision and was unable to compete in the fight.

Invicta FC

In May 2012, it was announced that Esparza had signed with the upstart all-female

Invicta Fighting Championships Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is currentl ...

promotion. On July 28, 2012, Esparza made her Invicta debut at the promotion's second event, entitled '' Invicta FC 2: Baszler vs. McMann'', and faced Sarah Schneider on the preliminary card. Esparza won the fight via TKO (punches) at 4:28 of round two. Esparza returned to Invicta to face Lynn Alvarez at '' Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama'' on October 6, 2012. She defeated Alvarez via TKO (punches) at 2:53 of round one.

Strawweight Championship

Esparza was expected to face

Ayaka Hamasaki is a Japanese female mixed martial artist, judoka and submission grappler. She is the former Rizin Super Atomweight Champion. She has fought in MMA promotions ''Shooto'', Jewels and Rizin in Japan, and Invicta FC in the United States. Hamasaki ...

for the Invicta FC Strawweight Championship at '' Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt'' on January 5, 2013. However, Hamasaki withdrew from the fight in order to defend her

Jewels A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...

Lightweight title in Japan. Esparza was then set to face Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt

Cláudia Gadelha Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha (; born December 7, 1988), is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the Women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 2022, Gadelha works for the Ultimate Fightin ...

in the Invicta FC 4 main event, but Gadelha broke her nose in training and was forced to withdraw. Esparza ultimately faced Bec Hyatt for the Invicta FC Strawweight Championship. Esparza won the fight via unanimous decision to become the first Invicta FC Strawweight Champion. Esparza agreed to defend her title against

at '' Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg'' on July 13, 2013. However, on June 4 she withdrew from the fight due to a knee injury. On December 7, 2013, Esparza was set to defend her strawweight title against

at Invicta FC 7. However, on the day of the event, Gadelha was taken to the hospital due to a bacterial infection and the fight was canceled. Esparza vacated the title on December 11, 2013 to compete on ''

''.

''The Ultimate Fighter''

On December 11, 2013, it was announced that Esparza was signed by the

(UFC) along with 10 other strawweight fighters to compete on season 20 of ''The Ultimate Fighter'', which would crown the first ever UFC Strawweight Champion. Esparza was the top seed in the tournament. She faced Angela Hill in the preliminary round and won via submission in the first round. In the quarterfinal round, she faced

Tecia Torres Tecia Lyn Torres Moncaio (born August 16, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 24, 2022, she is #8 in the UFC women's straww ...

and won the fight via majority decision. She then faced teammate

Jessica Penne Jessica Marie Penne (born January 30, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Penne currently competes in the Women's Strawweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was the first Invicta FC Atomweight Cha ...

in the semifinal, and won by unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

By winning the tournament on ''The Ultimate Fighter'', Esparza advanced to the final on December 12, 2014, against Rose Namajunas.

Strawweight Champion

After dominating much of the fight with her grappling and ground strikes, Esparza defeated Namajunas via rear-naked choke in the third round to become the inaugural UFC Strawweight Champion. The result also earned Esparza a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus. Kevin Iole of ''Yahoo Sports'' noted, "Namajunas tapped at 1:26 of the third round, but the fight was over long before that. Esparza was too strong, too smart and simply too good for the far less experienced Namajunas." He went on to state that "Esparza dominated her three fights on the reality show and was no less dominant on Saturday. There is clearly a gap between Esparza and the next level of challengers". Following the fight, Brad Walker of ''MMATorch'' declared, "Esparza is the best fighter in her division in the world, not just in the UFC." In her first title defense, Esparza faced kickboxer Joanna Jędrzejczyk on March 14, 2015, at

UFC 185 ''UFC 185: Pettis vs. dos Anjos'' was a mixed martial arts event held on March 14, 2015, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Background The event was the third that the UFC has hosted in Dallas, Texas. The event was headlined by a ...

. Prior to the fight, Jędrzejczyk stated, "I have lots of respect for her." She also noted, "I know she's not going to give up easy, so it's going to be a tough fight for me and for her." Throughout the bout, Esparza was out-struck while standing and unable to keep Jędrzejczyk on the mat. Jędrzejczyk won via TKO in the second round. In an interview afterward, Esparza noted, "She had great takedown defense, obviously. I feel like I wasn't really setting it up, but that's on me." She went on to state, "There's never any excuses. I fought my fight and I lost tonight. She did a great job." Esparza underwent shoulder surgery in mid-2015 and subsequently was out of action for the rest of the year.

Rebound

Esparza returned at

UFC 197 ''UFC 197: Jones vs. Saint Preux'' was a mixed martial arts event held on April 23, 2016, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event's number was initially planned for an event taking place on March 5, 2016 at HSBC Are ...

on April 23, 2016, defeating Juliana Lima via unanimous decision. Esparza, who stepped in for

, noted, "I took this fight semi-last minute, and I kind of wanted it that way too. Even though I wasn't in the best shape I wanted to be, I just kind of wanted to avoid the stress of a long camp." She also stated, "It's a huge relief off my shoulders to go out there and get my hand raised." Esparza next faced

Randa Markos Randa Cemil Markos-Thomas (born August 10, 1985) is an Iraqi-born Canadian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Personal life Markos wa ...

on February 19, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Browne. She lost the fight via controversial split decision. 19 of 23 media outlets scored the fight 29-28 for Esparza. Esparza faced

Maryna Moroz Maryna Moroz (Ukrainian: Марина Мороз; born September 8, 1991) is a Ukrainian professional mixed martial artist, signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she competes in the Women's Flyweight division. Moroz is also ...

on June 25, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 112 ''UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Lee'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 112'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on June 25, 2017, at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Background The ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Esparza faced

Cynthia Calvillo Cynthia Tafoya Calvillo ( , born July 13, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight and flyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of August 15, 2022, she is #14 in the UFC women's flyweight ra ...

on December 30, 2017 at UFC 219. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Esparza faced

on June 9, 2018 at

UFC 225 ''UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Background A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between ...

. She lost the fight via split decision. Esparza faced

Tatiana Suarez Tatiana Yadira Suarez Padilla (born December 19, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist with a background in wrestling who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was the strawweight ...

on September 8, 2018 at

UFC 228 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Esparza lost the fight via TKO in the third round. Esparza was scheduled to face

Lívia Renata Souza Lívia Renata dos Santos Souza (born March 11, 1991), also known as Livinha Souza, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division. She has previously competed in the UFC and Invicta Fighting Championships, where ...

on April 27, 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Hermansson. However, it was reported that Souza pulled out of the bout, citing ankle injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer

Virna Jandiroba Virna Carole Andrade Jandiroba (born May 30, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist (MMA), who currently competes in the strawweight division of the UFC. She is a former Invicta Fighting Championships (Invicta) Strawweight champion. As of ...

. Esparza won the fight via unanimous decision. Esparza faced

Alexa Grasso Karen Alexa Grasso Montes (born August 9, 1993) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in the flyweight division. She is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of March 29, 2022, she is #5 in the UFC women ...

on September 21, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 159. She won the fight via majority decision. This fight earned her the '' Fight of the Night'' award, the first of her UFC career. Esparza was scheduled to face

Michelle Waterson Michelle Eileen Waterson (born January 6, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist and model who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. Between 2013 and 2014, she was ranked the ...

on April 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the event was eventually postponed and the bout eventually took place on May 9, 2020 at

UFC 249 ''UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was originally planned to ...

. She won the fight via split decision. On June 3, 2020, Esparza's manager announced that she had signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC. Esparza was expected to face

Marina Rodriguez Marina Alcalde Rodriguez (born April 29, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist (MMA). She currently competes in the Strawweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 8, 2022, she is #5 in the UFC women's stra ...

on July 15, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 172 ''UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 172'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 30'' and ''UFC Fight Island 2'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 19, 2020 ...

. However the bout was cancelled after one of Rodriguez's cornermen tested positive for COVID-19. The pair eventually fought at

UFC on ESPN 14 ''UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 14'' and ''UFC Fight Island 3'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 26, 2020 at the du Forum on Yas Island, Abu ...

on July 26, 2020. Esparza won the fight via split decision. Esparza was expected to face

Amanda Ribas Amanda Ribas (born August 26, 1993) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Strawweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 15, 2022, she is #9 in the UFC women's strawweight ...

on December 12, 2020 at

UFC 256 ''UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 12, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. However on October 9, it was announced that Esparza was pulled due to undisclosed reasons. Esparza faced

Yan Xiaonan Yan Xiaonan (born June 16, 1989) is a Chinese mixed martial artist (MMA). She currently competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 8, 2022, she is ranked #6 in the UFC women's strawweight ra ...

on May 22, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 188. She won the bout via TKO after dominating Yan on the ground throughout the bout. This win earned her the''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

'' award.

Second championship reign

Esparza faced Rose Namajunas in a rematch for the

UFC Women's Strawweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

on May 7, 2022 at

UFC 274 ''UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 7, 2022, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Background The event was originally link ...

. Esparza won a largely uneventful fight by split decision to claim the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship for a second time. With the victory, Esparza set a record for longest time between UFC title reigns by any fighter, male or female, at 2,612 days. Esparza defended her belt against

Zhang Weili Zhang Weili (; born August 13, 1989) is a Chinese mixed martial artist. She is the former Kunlun Fight (KLF) strawweight champion and competes in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the current ...

on November 12, 2022, at

UFC 281 ''UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 12, 2022, at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. Background A UFC Middle ...

. Esparza lost the bout and the belt by the way of a rear-naked choke submission in the second round.

Grappling

Esparza stepped up on short notice to replace Rose Namajunas in a grappling match against Danielle Kelly at Fury Pro Grappling 3 on December 30, 2021. After a tough match, Esparza slammed Kelly from full guard and the resulting clash of heads opened up a cut above Esparza's eyebrow. The doctors attending called the match off and the victory was awarded to Kelly as a result of the injury.

Fighting style

Esparza is known for powerful wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. On the mat, she often mounts an opponent and controls her with strikes while seeking submissions. While standing, she typically clinches and attacks with punches, knees and elbows.

Championships and accomplishments

(Two times; First) **Tied ( Joanna Jedrzejczyk) for most wins in the UFC Women's Strawweight division history (10) ** Most takedowns landed in the UFC Women's Strawweight division history (44) ** Longest time between title reigns in UFC history (2,612 days) ** Fight of the Night (One time) **

(Two times) **The Ultimate Fighter 20 Tournament Winner ** Most split decision wins in the UFC Women's Strawweight division history (3) *

Invicta FC Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

** Invicta FC Strawweight Championship (One time; First) *'
Combat Press
'' **2014 Female Fighter of the Year *MMAWeekly.com **2014 Female Fighter of the Year

Submission grappling

* Pan-American Championship **2013 Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Championship Female Blue Belt Silver Medalist

Personal life

Esparza is of Mexican,

Ecuadorian Ecuadorians ( es, ecuatorianos) are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are colle ...

and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

descent. She married her husband Matthew Lomeli in May 2022.

Mixed martial arts record

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Bec Rawlings Rebecca Anne Rawlings (born 11 February 1989) is an Australian mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer, who currently competes in the flyweight division. She was ranked as a contender strawweight (106-115 lb) fighter according to the ...

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Lynn Alvarez Lynn Alvarez (born September 6, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist. She competes in the strawweight division for Invicta FC and has competed for Bellator. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 6–5 , JJ Aldrich , ...

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Clovis, New Mexico Clovis is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico. The city had a population of 37,775 as of the 2010 census, and a 2019 estimated population of 38,319. Clovis is located in the New Mexico portion of the Llano Estacado, in the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align="center" , 4–1 ,

Nina Ansaroff Nina Ann Nunes (; born December 3, 1985) is an American former mixed martial artist who most competed in the women's flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Nunes was born and raised in Weston, Florida. Her materna ...

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, , align="center" , 2 , align="center" , 0:57 , Hollywood, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align="center" , 3–0 , Lacey Schuckman , Submission (rear-naked choke) , NMEF - Ladies Night: Clash of the Titans 8 , , align="center" , 2 , align="center" , 2:37 ,

Castle Rock, Colorado Castle Rock is a home rule town that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 73,158 at the 2020 United States Census, a 51.68% increase since the 2010 United St ...

, United States , , - , Win , align="center" , 2–0 , Karina Hallinan , , Long Beach Fight Night 8 , , align="center" , 2 , align="center" , 2:16 ,

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, United States , , - , Win , align="center" , 1–0 , Cassie Trost , TKO (punches) , Respect in the Cage 3 , , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 0:48 ,

Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Pol ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , rowspan=3, The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned , (airdate) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , rowspan=3,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 ,

, Decision (majority) , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 ,

Angela Hill Angela Patrice Hill (born January 12, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She was formerly signed with the Invicta Fighting Championships, of which she was the strawweight champion. She is also ...

, Submission (standing rear-naked choke) , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:42 ,

References

External links

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Carla Esparza
at

Carla Esparza Awakening Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Esparza, Carla 1987 births Sportspeople from Torrance, California American female mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent Strawweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Menlo College alumni American people of Irish descent American people of Ecuadorian descent American sportspeople of Latin American descent American sportspeople of South American descent Sportspeople of Ecuadorian descent Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters American female sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners 21st-century American women

Amateur and collegiate wrestling

Mixed martial arts career

Bellator

XFC and MEZ Sports

Invicta FC

Strawweight Championship

''The Ultimate Fighter''

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Strawweight Champion

Rebound

Second championship reign

Grappling

Fighting style

Championships and accomplishments

Submission grappling

Personal life

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links