3 reasons why Carla Esparza can dethrone UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas

UFC Vegas 27 featured a major fight in the UFC strawweight division, as former champion Carla Esparza smashed Yan Xiaonan to likely set herself up for a shot at current champ Rose Namajunas.

Carla Esparza already holds a UFC win over Rose Namajunas, so can she repeat the feat and claim back the UFC strawweight title she lost in 2015?

Rose Namajunas will not be a pushover for Esparza by any means, but the Cookie Monster can definitely win this fight.

Here are three reasons why Carla Esparza can beat Rose Namajunas to become the new UFC strawweight champion.

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#1 Carla Esparza has defeated Rose Namajunas before

Carla Esparza beat Rose Namajunas in one-sided fashion in 2014.

The obvious reason that suggests Carla Esparza can beat Rose Namajunas for the UFC strawweight title is the fact that she’s done it before, back in 2014.

The initial fight between the two women took place at the TUF 20 finale, with the inaugural UFC strawweight title on the line. And to tell the truth, it wasn’t all that close.

Esparza simply dominated Namajunas, taking her down with ease and eventually finishing her off with a third-round rear-naked choke.

In fact, it was one of the most one-sided title fights in UFC history.

Sure, it’s obviously fair to state that Namajunas has improved dramatically since then. Her striking, grappling and overall game has gotten much better and she’s got far more experience under her belt.

After all, discounting her fights on TUF, Thug Rose had only three professional fights prior to fighting Esparza, who was far more experienced.

But it’s also fair to say that Esparza has improved dramatically too.

Back in 2014, the Cookie Monster was a fantastic wrestler and grappler, but her striking game lagged far behind the rest of her arsenal.

Now though, we’ve seen Esparza hang with the likes of Claudia Gadelha and Alexa Grasso on the feet. It means that while she isn’t likely to outstrike Namajunas, she’s definitely not likely to be completely outclassed.

And it’s also fair to say that based on that earlier win, Esparza might have a psychological advantage over a fighter she’s already beaten, particularly one who often comes across as fragile as Namajunas does.

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#2 Carla Esparza has plenty of momentum on her side

Carla Esparza is the only UFC fighter to defeat Marina Rodriguez thus far.

Despite fighters like Tony Ferguson and Charles Oliveira putting together lengthy runs of wins in recent years, it’s almost impossible to put together a winning streak in the UFC.

This becomes magnified if a fighter sits near the top of their division, too, and is forced to face high-level contenders in each fight.

That’s why Carla Esparza’s current run of five wins is so impressive.

She has taken out five high-level opponents. Three of them – Yan Xiaonan, Marina Rodriguez and Virna Jandiroba – were unbeaten in the UFC prior to stepping into the octagon with the Cookie Monster.

And it’s not like the other two, Alexa Grasso and Michelle Waterson, were scrubs either. In fact, both women would probably be considered fellow UFC title contenders.

And when you add in the fact that her TKO win over Xiaonan was her first finish inside the UFC since her win over Rose Namajunas in 2014, it adds up to give Esparza some serious momentum.

Basically, right now, it’s highly likely that Carla Esparza feels absolutely unstoppable when she steps into the octagon.

And that kind of momentum can be tough to stop, even if you’re the UFC strawweight champion, as Rose Namajunas is right now.

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#3 Rose Namajunas has never beaten a grappler as good as Carla Esparza

Rose Namajunas is a great fighter, but she's never beaten a grappler like Carla Esparza.

Rose Namajunas is undoubtedly a great UFC strawweight champion.

Her win over Weili Zhang at UFC 261 gave her the UFC strawweight title for the second time, following her previous run as champion from 2017 to 2019.

And to be fair, there’s probably an argument to be made that Thug Rose should never have lost her title in the first place.

After all, she was dominating her fight with Jessica Andrade at UFC 237, only losing to a once-in-a-lifetime slam. And since then, she’s beaten Andrade in a rematch before dispatching of Zhang – the woman who dethroned Andrade later in 2019.

However, there’s also something worth noting about Namajunas’ 8-3 UFC record.

That’s the fact that she hasn’t fought a grappler on the level of Carla Esparza since the Cookie Monster first defeated her back in 2014.

Sure, you could argue that Andrade, Michelle Waterson and Tecia Torres are formidable grapplers in their own right. But when it comes down to it, all three are strikers by trade.

And none of them possess the takedown ability, top control and submission skills of the Cookie Monster.

In fact, outside of monstrous wrestler Tatiana Suarez, who plans to move up to 125lbs when she returns to action, it’s arguable that no other fighter in the strawweight division puts her grappling together as well as Esparza.

Mackenzie Dern is perhaps a better submission artist, but even she doesn’t possess the wrestling game that the Cookie Monster does.

And given Namajunas simply hasn’t faced anyone like her since Esparza initially defeated her in 2014, we’ve got no real evidence that she’s closed the holes in her game that cost her that fight.

So with that considered, it feels likely that Carla Esparza will repeat the feat.