Carla Esparza is ready to make her Octagon return and get back on track following a one-sided loss to Tatiana Suarez, but the level of competition will remain stiff as she takes on Livinha Souza at UFC on ESPN 3 from the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida on April 27, as reported by MMA Fighting earlier today.
Carla Esparza became the inaugural UFC strawweight champion in 2014 when she defeated reigning champion Rose Namajunas via rear-naked choke. Unfortunately for Esparza, she would then drop the title in her very first title defense to Joanna Jędrzejczyk. Since then, Esparza has had an up-and-down career in the promotion, going .500 in her last six fights with three wins and three losses. Esparza is currently on a two-fight losing streak after losing to Claudia Gadelha in a tight split decision at UFC 225 and, in her last outing, against Tatiana Suarez at UFC 228.
Livinha Souza, like Carla Esparza, is a former Invicta strawweight champion, but she lost that title to Angela Hill in 2016. Since that loss, Souza has rallied for a four-fight winning streak, with her most recent victory coming over Sarah Frota in an extremely close split-decision victory at UFC Fortaleza on February 2.
With the addition of this strawweight bout, the updated UFC on ESPN 3 lineup now includes:
Andrei Arlovski vs. Augusto Sakai
Jim Miller vs. Jason Gonzalez
Dhiego Lima vs. Court McGee
Women’s Strawweight bout: Jessica Penne vs. Jodie Esquibel
Women’s Strawweight bout: Carla Esparza vs. Livinha Souza
What is your early prediction for this strawweight bout between Carla Esparza and Livinha Souza?
