Tag: Tecia Pennington

Carla Esparza was given her flowers, but not a win, in her retirement fight during the early prelims at UFC 307, losing by decision to Tecia Pennington.

The fight served as a rematch from both women’s time during season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, which Esparza went on to win and become the first UFC strawweight champion.

Esparza found herself in some trouble early in the opening round, as Pennington appeared to be ripping her apart on the feet, and her legs were battered by low kicks. Once the fight went to the ground, however, “Cookie Monster” was in complete control, maintaining top position for about three minutes.

The second frame proved to be close, though Pennington had the upper hand in striking once again. Esparza’s striking picked up in the third stanza, and she could have finished Pennington had there been more time in the round.

Pennington, however, continued to beat down the legs of Esparza, making her eat leg kick after leg kick.

The judges ultimately gave the close fight to Pennington, with two 29-28 cards and a 30-27.

Carla Esparza Retires Following Loss To Tecia Pennington At UFC 307

“It’s been an amazing journey, these last 15 years,” Esparza said in the Octagon following the fight. “I’ve fought the best of the best. It’s not always easy. There’s ups and downs in this sport, but I wouldn’t have done it any other way. This is the greatest sport in the world.”

Esparza was given a tribute video following the fight.

Esparza began her professional MMA career in 2010, going 6-2, including a pair of fights in Bellator, before finding a stride in the initial days of Invicta FC in 2012. At Invicta FC 4, Esparza defeated Bec Rawlings to become the inaugural strawweight champion of the promotion.

By the next year, however, “Cookie Monster” would sign with the UFC and be a contestant on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, which determined the UFC’s inaugural champion of its then-new women’s strawweight division.

Esparza defeated Angela Hill, Pennington (then-Tecia Torres), and Jessica Penne before finishing Rose Namajunas to win the tournament and championship. Esparza subsequently lost the belt in her first defense at UFC 185, dropping it to Joanna Jędrzejczyk.

The wrestling specialist went 3-3 in her next six fights before starting a noteworthy win streak in 2019, having her hand raised in six straight. That run was highlighted by a second-round finish of Yan Xiaonan and culminated in her beating Namajunas again at UFC 274 to become a two-time UFC strawweight champion.

Esparza, again, lost the title in her first defense, getting finished by current champ Weili Zhang at UFC 281. This was Esparza’s most recent fight prior to tonight, as she gave birth to her son in September 2023.

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Former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza has announced that her next outing inside the Octagon will be her last.

News recently broke, via MMA Junkie’s Nolan King, that she is set to return from a near two-year lay off to face Tecia Pennington at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 5.

Esparza has been inactive since losing her title to Weili Zhang at UFC 281 in November of 2022.

In the following months, the 36-year old announced that she was pregnant with a son and therefore, has been taking some time off before working towards one last dance.

Carla Esparza Says ‘It’s Time’ To End Her Near 15-Year Career

Esparza announced on social media that her recently reported fight will be the final outing of her 27-fight pro career.

Having made her pro back in 2010, “Cookie Monster” would go on to win season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter which saw her be crowned as the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight champion by defeating Rose Namajunas in the final.

Having already become the inaugural Invicta strawweight champion before signing to the UFC, she remained in this weight class her entire career and put together her best-ever streak before the loss to Zhang in November of 2022.

Winning six-straight, including victories over the likes of Alexa Grasso and Yan Xiaonan, Esparza would defeat Namajunas once again at UFC 274 to become a two-time UFC champion at 115-pounds.

Now she feels, as she said herself on social media, it’s the right time for her to ride off into the sunset following a rematch with Pennington who she defeated a decade ago on route to winning The Ultimate Fighter.

“*RETIREMENT FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT*
I will be stepping into The UFC Octagon on Saturday, October 5th for the final time. After almost 15 years as a professional, fighting the best of the best, I feel it’s time to hang up my gloves. This choice is made for my body and my family; 20+ years doing combat sports takes its toll.

I wanted to give my ‘Cookie Monster’ fans, who have never been there to watch me live, one final opportunity. It feels bittersweet to leave this sport that I love so much, but I’m happy to be doing it on my own terms.”
#UFC307

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Read also: José Aldo, Kayla Harrison Have Returns In The Works For UFC 307 On October 5

The comeback of former two-time UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza is in the works for this fall.

Esparza hasn’t entered the Octagon since losing the 115-pound gold to Zhang Weili by way of submission at UFC 281 in November 2022. The 36-year-old announced that she was pregnant four months later and gave birth to her son in September 2023.

“Cookie Monster” is now ready to resume her fighting career, and per MMA Junkie’s Nolan King, that’s expected to begin with a rematch of sorts against fellow veteran contender Tecia Pennington.

The pair previously collided on The Ultimate Fighter back in 2014, with Esparza emerging victories over Pennington in a quarterfinal contest en route to winning the entire strawweight tournament.

King’s report revealed that their second dance is targeted for the UFC 307 pay-per-view on October 5, expected to take place in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Esparza vs. Pennington In The Works For UFC 307

Should this matchup be made official, both Esparza and Pennington will be searching for their first wins in years.

Esparza (19-7) dropped from contention back in 2018 after falling to consecutive losses against Cláudia Gadelha and Tatiana Suarez. But she followed that skid with a five-fight winning run comprised of triumphs over Virna Jandiroba, Alexa Grasso, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Marina Rodriguez, and Yan Xiaonan to earn a shot at two-time champ status.

“Cookie Monster” achieved that feat at UFC 274 in May 2022, getting the judges’ nod in a lackluster rematch with Namajunas to capture the strawweight belt once again. But having relinquished her grip on it months later against Zhang, Esparza will return in pursuit of becoming the woman to regain a title twice in the UFC.

Out to ensure that run doesn’t get out the starting blocks looks set to be Pennington (13-7). Like Esparza, “The Tiny Tornado” took a break in her career to give birth. That came after a narrow split decision loss to Mackenzie Dern in April 2022, a result that snapped her three-fight winning run.

Pennington made her return this past May at the UFC Fight Night in St. Louis, once again falling on the wrong side of a split verdict, this time against Tabatha Ricci. After celebrating her wife Raquel Pennington’s bantamweight title crowning earlier this year, “The Tiny Tornado” will look to enjoy her own success inside the Octagon again on October 5.

With this addition, the fights currently expected to take place at UFC 307 are as follows:

• Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling (featherweight)
• José Aldo vs. Mario Bautista (bantamweight)
• Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington (women’s strawweight)
• Chris Curtis vs. Kevin Holland (middleweight)
• Ketlen Vieira vs. Kayla Harrison (women’s bantamweight)
• Marina Rodriguez vs. Iasmin Lucindo (women’s strawweight)
• Ihor Potieria vs. César Almeida (middleweight)

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