Despite having an opponent in her crosshairs, former UFC champion Carla Esparza is ready to contend for the title again, and given the caliber of her four-fight win streak, it’s hard to argue with the strawweight.
Set to take place in May, Carla Esparza is paired up to compete with Chinese contender Xiaonan Yan. Admittingly, the former strawweight champion said that she normally does not look ahead, but that that the quality of her four-fight win streak speaks for itself.
Carla Esparza Ready For The Title Shot Now
Carla Esparza knew prior to her upcoming bout that she would have to make some mental adjustments to recover from back-to-back losses for the first time in her career. Since then, Esparza has done just that and took out contender after contender. After reflecting on what would be the next step in her career, she knew staying the course and gunning for the title was most important to her.
“I’m not one to speak ahead of myself, but I feel with what I’ve done so far, I’ve earned my spot. Carla Esparza said to Mike Bohn from MMAJunkie. The proof is what I’ve accomplished in these last four fights. I’ve had very tough competition. And not only that, but I actually did have to change my mindset a couple years ago because I did come off, for the first time in my career, two losses in a row.
“And to me, it’s like, what are you gonna do in this sport? Are you gonna stay on this road or are gonna go to the drawing board, take a look at yourself, and evolve? And that’s what I had to do. And I feel like I’ve made a lot of changes since then, and I feel like my four-fight win streak shows that. And I think all that combined makes me feel more confident in saying that I am ready for this title fight.”
Carla Esparza’s win streak is downright stellar. With wins over Alexa Grasso, Michelle Waterson, and Marina Rodriguez the strawweight is putting a lot on the line come fight night. Despite two of the bouts ending in a split decision and one a majority decision, her relentless pace obviously impresses the judges. After all is said and done, perhaps we could see the first-ever UFC strawweight champion once again compete for the title in 2021.
Do you think Carla Esparza has earned a title shot, or will a win over Xiaonan Yan cement her shot? If not, let us know below who you think should be next!
