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Carla Esparza regained the strawweight championship after defeating Rose Namajunas via split decision at UFC 274. It wasn’t the most exciting fight, but she still won the title and earned her second win over Namajunas. This is also her second reign as strawweight champion and extended her winning streak to six straight wins. This victory also set the record for longest gap between individual title reigns in the promotion’s history. It has been 2703 days since her first title win, which is significantly longer than Frank Mir’s previous record of 1652 days.
Despite her title fight not being the most entertaining, there are still intriguing challengers for her in the strawweight division. The division continues to improve and there could be opponents that Esparza has yet to fight as well as possible rematches. This list will look at five possible challengers for UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza.
#5. No.4-ranked UFC strawweight Mackenzie Dern
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Mackenzie Dern would be a suitable challenger for new UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza. Dern recently bounced back from her loss to Marina Rodriguez by earning a split decision over Tecia Torres. It was a great performance that put her in the title picture at 115 lbs.
Prior to her loss to Rodriguez, she won four consecutive fights that included wins over Randa Markos and Nina Nunes. Dern’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu background would make for an intriguing bout with Esparza.
Dern is a decorated judo practitioner who has represented the United States and Brazil in major competitions and won numerous championships. Some of the championships she has won include the Asian Open Championship, European Championship, and World Cup.
‘Cookie Monster’ would have to be cautious with her wrestling against Dern as she’s capable of submitting opponents off her back. Based on their respective strengths, it could also be a bout contested in the standup.
#4. Marina Rodriguez
No.3-ranked strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez has looked great since bouncing back from her loss to Carla Esparza in 2020. Like Dern, Rodriguez has also won four straight fights, and a rematch could be on the horizon. Her winning streak also includes a unanimous decision win over Michelle Waterson at flyweight. She then followed that up with a unanimous decision over Mackenzie Dern and a split decision over Yan Ziaonan.
‘Cookie Monster’ won in their first encounter via split decision after the judges scored the bout 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27. Perhaps Rodriguez would be more aggressive with her striking early on and won't allow the champion to shoot for a takedown. However, Esparza could see an opportunity to exploit any weaknesses she picked up on in the first bout. Based on how the first bout was scored and how their recent fights have ended, the rematch could go the distance.
#3. Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas
Despite their title fight not being well received at UFC 274, Rose Namajunas earning another title shot is still likely. The decision didn’t go her way, but Namajunas did show improvements in her wrestling defense. Esparza took her down, but Namajunas did a great job of quickly getting back to her feet.
‘Thug Rose’ is still a top strawweight and could easily bounce back from the title loss. She has done it in the past and is one win away from earning the trilogy fight with ‘Cookie Monster.’ Based on the reception of their most recent bout, a trilogy bout most likely won’t main event a pay-per-view. If Namajunas picks up a few wins and Esparza is still champion, it’d be hard to deny her a title shot.
During her post-fight press conference, ‘Thug Rose’ was critical of the decision that resulted in her losing the title. She felt that she should’ve been awarded the decision for inflicting more damage.
“I felt as if I landed more shots. I even took her down. None of her takedowns were significant or any control time. She hit with I’d say one good punch.”
#2. Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade
Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade has become a top contender in both the strawweight and flyweight divisions. After losing her rematch to former champion Rose Namajunas, she moved up to 125 lbs and immediately made a statement. She earned a first-round TKO win over Katlyn Chookagian and then challenged Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight championship.
Andrade came up short against Shevchenko, but remained at 125 lbs for another bout. She made quick work of Cynthia Calvillo and then returned to strawweight last month. The former strawweight champion looked incredible as she defeated Amanda Lemos via first-round submission with a standing arm-triangle.
The submission win earned Andrade a Performance of the Night bonus and put her back in the title picture. What makes her such an intriguing challenger is that she hasn’t fought Esparza before. It’s hard to believe their paths haven’t crossed, but that could help the former champion’s chances of earning a title shot.
#1. The winner of Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Zhang Weili
Fortunately for Esparza, she won’t have to wait long to find out who the next challenger for the UFC strawweight championship will be. Following this past weekend’s event, Dana White seemingly confirmed that the winner of Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Zhang Weili will earn the next title shot.
The bout will be a rematch between the two former champions and is a highly anticipated bout. Their first fight in 2020 saw Weili retain the strawweight championship. It was a back-and-forth bout that could have gone either way.
‘Cookie Monster’ could be in a position where history repeats itself. Her first reign began after defeating Rose Namujunas and ended in her first title defense against Jedrzejczyk. She could possibly be hoping that ‘The Boogeywoman’ wins, so she could have an opportunity to avenge the loss.
