Carla Esparza officially announced her retirement from mixed martial arts following a close loss at UFC 307.
Esparza is a former two-time UFC strawweight titleholder and the organization’s inaugural 115-pound champ after winning the first all-female season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2014.
The soon-to-be 37-year-old had not fought since her second title reign ended at UFC 281, when she was submitted by current champion Zhang Weili, but Esparza looked like she can still compete at a high level. She had a child in September 2023.
Esparza lost to Tecia Pennington on Saturday in Salt Lake City via a unanimous decision that was met with boos as some fans in attendance at Delta Center believed Esparza had done enough to win the fight.
She ends her career with a 19-8 pro record, which doesn’t include her 3-0 amateur record from her time on TUF. One of those amateur wins was against Pennington.
Esparza defeated Rose Namajunas to win TUF and the inaugural belt and also holds notable victories over Alexa Grasso, Yan Xiaonan, Virna Jandiroba, Michelle Waterson and Jessica Penne.
Before her UFC tenure, Esparza was Invicta FC’s inaugural champion.
The likely future Hall of Famer was presented with a highlight reel of her career accomplishments, met with an ovation and briefly spoke with Joe Rogan.
“It’s been an amazing journey these last 15 years,” an emotional Esparza said before laying her gloves in the cage alongside her child. “I fought the best of the best and it’s not always easy. There’s ups and downs in this sport but I wouldn’t have done it any other way.”
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