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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