Esparza Explains Why She’ll Feel Like A Winner Regardless Of UFC 274

Former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza is past the point of taking losses too harshly at this stage of her career.

Esparza will face strawweight queen Rose Namajunas in the UFC 274 co-main event tonight. The matchup has been in the works for months, and Esparza has a win over Namajunas from earlier in their careers.

Esparza is also scheduled to get married next week, just days after her long-awaited strawweight title shot.

During a recent interview with ESPN, Esparza explained how her perspective has changed since her previous strawweight title reign.

“Yeah, most definitely. It’s really reassuring to know that, hey, no matter what, I’m still committing to the person that I love and I get to spend the rest of my life with,” Esparza said. “It is a really special moment for me. Hopefully, I have these two huge victories, but I mean, either way, I just feel really grateful with everything that I have in my life.”

Esparza defeated Namajunas for the then-vacant strawweight title at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale back in 2014. She would go on to lose her title to Joanna Jędrzejczyk in her first defense at UFC 185 via second-round knockout.

More than seven years later, Esparza has managed to work her way back to potentially earning UFC gold. She’s won five in a row, including most recently against Marina Rodriguez and Yan Xiaonan.

Regardless of the outcome at UFC 274, it’s safe to say that Esparza is in a great place in her life and doesn’t need another strawweight title for long-term happiness.

Do you think Carla Esparza will pull off the upset against Rose Namajunas?

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