Carla Esparza will finally get her shot against Rose Namajunas.
Esparza, herself a former UFC women’s strawweight champion, will meet Namajunas in the co-main event of UFC 274 this May. Sports Illustrated was first to report the news, which Esparza herself later confirmed on social media.
The pair have history: following The Ultimate Fighter 20, which introduced the strawweight division, Esparza (18-6) and Namajunas (11-4) faced off for the UFC’s inaugural 115lb title. Esparza won the fight via submission.
“The Cookie Monster” would lose the belt in her very next fight, however, to Polish juggernaut Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She’s been chasing another title opportunity ever since, as the belt changed hands, going from Jedrzejczyk, to Namajunas, to Jessica Andrade, to Weili Zhang, then back to Namajunas.
In recent times, Esparza has put together a five fight win streak, defeating names like Alexa Grasso, Michelle Waterson, and Marina Rodriguez.
Namajunas reclaimed the title last April, finishing Weili Zhang with a head kick, then winning a unanimous decision over the Chinese fighter in an immediate rematch. The only loss for “Thug” Rose since 2016 was a slam KO knockout at the hands of Jessica Andrade, in a fight Namajunas had dominated in early.
UFC 274 is set to take place on May 7, 2022 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ. The following fights have been reported for the event to date:
- Charles Oliveira (c) vs. Justin Gaethje – for the UFC lightweight championship
- Rose Namajunas (c) vs. Carla Esparza – for the UFC women’s strawweight championship
- Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson
- Shogun Rua vs. Ovince Saint Preux
- Cowboy Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon
- Blagoy Ivanov vs. Marcos Rogério de Lima
- Macy Chiasson vs. Norma Dumont
- Randy Brown vs. Khaos Williams
- Francisco Trinaldo vs. Danny Roberts
- Brandon Royval vs. Matt Schnell
- Ariane Carnelossi vs. Lupita Godinez
- C.J. Vergara vs. Kleydson Rodrigues
- Journey Newson vs. Fernie Garcia
- Michael Johnson vs. Alan Patrick
- Tracy Cortez vs. Melissa Gatto
