Carla Esparza reacts to Dana White confirming she will fight Rose Namajunas for the title next
Judging by Dana White's latest comments, Carla Esparza is hurtling towards a fight against UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas. Given a recent tweet she posted, it seems like 'Cookie Monster' could not be more excited.
UFC president Dana White was initially skeptical about setting up this fight after Carla Esparza refused an opportunity to fight Mackenzie Dern. Instead, the inaugural 115-pound titleholder chose to wait for a shot at divisional gold.
However, it seems like Rose Namajunas' desire to run it back with her TUF 20 opponent has convinced White to set it up after all.
Esparza recently took to Twitter with a candid reaction to Dana White's comments about her seemingly confirmed title shot. The 34-year-old, who finds herself on a tremendous winning streak, shared a screengrab of White's update regarding the UFC women's strawweight division.
"It's going down."
It’s going down!! 🙌🏽👊🏽 https://t.co/8uINHpKUct
Carla Esparza currently finds herself on a tear, having recorded five victories on the trot against Michelle Waterson, Marina Rodriguez, Alexa Grasso, Virna Jandiroba and Yan Xiaonan.
Her last loss came way back in 2018 when she was finished by Tatiana Suarez at UFC 228 in the third round. Esparza, most recently, recorded a decisive finish against Xiaonan in May this year.
Carla Esparza hoping to go 2-for-2 against Rose Namajunas
Although the location and date of their clash are yet to be cemented, Esparza and Namajunas appear set to meet inside the octagon for the second time.
Their initial meeting came way back in 2014 during the Finale of TUF 20. That clash saw Carla Esparza emerge triumphant after she submitted her strawweight contemporary in the third round by way of a rear-naked choke.
TUF 20 Finale results: Carla Esparza def. Rose Namajunas via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 1:26 bit.ly/1wjYKZI
The win over Rose Namajunas marked a historic moment for the UFC as Carla Esparza etched her name in MMA folklore as the first 115-pound champ in promotional history.
Rose Namajunas is currently coming off a series of clashes against former UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili. Since her loss at the hands of Jessica Andrade, Namajunas has managed to redeem herself in a rematch against the Brazilian and fought her way back to gold.
The rematch between Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas has all the makings for an absolute barn-burner, with a rich history to go with it.