Triple Take: Which former champ needs to win most at UFC on ESPN 14?

The UFC closes out its first run on “Fight Island” on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 14. Of the four-event stretch at Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, the upcoming show features the richest lineup of names of the three non-pay-per-view cards. Four former UFC champions are slated to compete in on the ESPN main card.

Who between Robert Whittaker, Mauricio Rua, Fabricio Werdum, and Carla Esparza is in greatest need of a victory in their respective matchup, though? MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Farah Hannoun and Simon Head debate in this edition of Triple Take.

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Mike Bohn: Carla Esparza

Seeing that Carla Esparza is the only former champion going into this weekend’s event coming off a win, one would think she doesn’t have all that much pressure going into her strawweight fight with unbeaten Marina Rodriguez.

Although the question is posed as who needs a win the most, I choose to look at it this way: Who can afford a loss the least? To me, that’s easily Esparza.

Robert Whittaker is 28, and losing a main event to another contender is recoverable. “Shogun” Rua is at the tail end of his career, and a loss doesn’t change his legacy one way or another. Fabricio Werdum, meanwhile, is on the final fight of his current contract and seemingly on his way out of the UFC regardless.

Esparza, for her part, is in quite a precious position and one that’s somewhat familiar, too. “The Cookie Monster” lost her UFC belt in March 2015 and hasn’t been able to return to the mountain top since. She’s had mixed results along the way, but after a TKO loss to Tatiana Suarez nearly two years ago, she’s managed to go on a run, with her current three-fight winning streak putting her in a big-time fight with Rodriguez.

Let’s not forget, however, that many believe two of the wins in Esparza’s streak against Michelle Waterson and Alexa Grasso could’ve gone the other way. She wouldn’t even be in this position had one or both those decisions been scored against her, so that puts pressure to make the most of her current opportunity.

Could Esparza take a loss to Rodriguez and rebuild after? Perhaps. But time is not on her side. She’s 32, and having to work another two to three years to make it back into title contention would be rolling the dice on her physical prime holding up. Because of that, she needs this win badly.

Next page – Farah Hannoun: Fabricio Werdum