UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza and former two-time titleholder Rose Namajunas have a storied past that began before their fights in the octagon.
Before joining the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 20, Esparza and Namajunas were both fighting in the Invicta FC fight promotion. Esparza was the Invicta FC strawweight champion. Namajunas made her professional debut on the Invicta FC 4 fight card. Esparza won the inaugural Invicta FC strawweight championship in the main event that night. Of course, the rest is history.
On Thursday morning, Esparza posted a Throwback Thursday photo of her and Namajunas from ’10 years ago.’
“It was an honor to step in the cage with @rosenamajunas , she is truly one of the greats and has accomplished so much in this division. 8 years ago we fought for the title, and to still be at the top of this incredibly talented division is an accomplishment in and of itself,” Esparza wrote on Instagram.
“I’ve known @hypeordie and Rose for a long time, and have nothing but respect for them. @suckerpunchent sent me this pic from like 10 years ago, figured it would be a good #TBT“
Carl Esparza posts throwback photo of her and Rose Namajunas