Breaking: Former UFC strawweight champion removed from rankings due to inactivity

It appears as though a former UFC strawweight champion has been removed from the updated rankings and won't be eligible for the time being.

It's normal for fighters to lose their spot in the rankings and perhaps even drop a few spots, but one fighter has been removed completely. According to MMA journalist John Morgan, the rankings panel were notified that former strawweight champion Carla Esparza will be removed from the updated rankings this coming week. He wrote:

"Ahead of #UFC297, official rankings panel has been notified that Carla Esparza will not be a part of the next updated list. "Please note that Carla Esparza has been removed from rankings eligibility in the womens' strawweight division due to inactivity.""

Morgan's tweet regarding Esparza being removed from UFC rankings [Image courtesy: @JohnMorgan_MMA - X]

'Cookie Monster' most recently competed at UFC 281, where she was submitted by Zhang Weili and lost her strawweight championship. In the months that followed, the former TUF winner announced her pregnancy and later gave birth to her son this past September.

Although there's an obvious reason why Esparza couldn't compete inside the octagon, many fans found it quite odd that inactivity was the reason behind her removal from the updated rankings. Most notably, Colby Covington retained his rankings despite his inactivity and even challenged welterweight champion Leon Edwards in his return after a near two-year layoff.

Another example is Jamahal Hill, who was forced to relinquish his light heavyweight championship after his Achilles injury. Despite the long layoff, he remains the No.1-ranked fighter in the division and is believed to be receiving an opportunity to regain the championship when he's cleared to return.

Aside from 2021, when she only competed once, Esparza has been a fairly active fighter as she has averaged two fights per year. She has had a long MMA career, having competed since 2010, so it will be interesting to see whether her removal from the rankings could possibly signify her retirement from the sport.