Former two-time UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza says her next fight will be her last.
Esparza (19-7), 36, the UFC’s inaugural 115lb champ, announced the news on Friday, revealing that her reported date with Tecia Pennington (13-7) at UFC 307 will serve as her retirement fight.
News of the booking was first reported by MMA Junkie a day prior to Esparza’s announcement. UFC 307 is expected to take place on October 5, 2024 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Esparza, who will enter the fight off a loss to Weili Zhang that ended her second stint as champ, wrote on social media that “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.”
Esparza first captured strawweight gold in the UFC in 2014, defeating Rose Namajunas to win The Ultimate Fighter 20 and the UFC’s inaugural women’s 115lb title in the process. She would lose the belt one fight later to Joanna Jedrzejczyk, the most dominant strawweight champ in the promotion’s history. But Esparza kept grinding, and worked her way back to a title shot in 2022 – coincidentally, also against Namajunas, who was on her own second stint as champ. Esparza again defeated “Thug” Rose, only to lose the belt to Zhang.
In 2013, just prior to her UFC run, Carla Esparza became the inaugural Invicta FC strawweight champ.
Tecia Pennington (nee Torres) will enter the fight looking to put back-to-back losses to Tabatha Ricci and Mackenzie Dern behind her.
