Carla Esparza will finally get her shot at Rose Namajunas.
Namajunas is coming off a split decision victory over Weili Zhang in their women’s strawweight title rematch last month. Given the close nature of the bout, many pondered whether Zhang could potentially get a trilogy.
Another option for Namajunas was a trilogy with another former champion who she has beaten twice in Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Not many would complain if either of those fights happened.
One person who would, however, is Esparza. The first-ever strawweight champion is currently on a five-fight winning streak and has been calling to face Namajunas in a rematch ever since her win over Yan Xiaonan back in May.
She even claimed she would be willing to sit out until she gets her shot which UFC president Dana White was not particularly a fan of.
However, even Namajunas wanted that fight to be next for her as it is a chance to not only defend her title again, but exact revenge on Esparza who defeated her via third-round submission back in 2014 to become the inaugural 115-pound champion.
Dana White Confirms Carla Esparza Is Next For Rose Namajunas
While other fighters have been skipped over for sitting out in hopes of a title shot, it has seemingly worked out for Esparza.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, White was asked what would be next for Namajunas to which he responded:
“Carla Esparza,” White said. “100 percent.”
As for when it could happen remains to be seen as Namajunas only competed just over a month ago. However, it’s possible we could see it in the spring at the earliest.
It will certainly be interesting to see how the fight goes this time around as Namajunas has since evolved into one of the best women’s fighters on the planet.
With that said, Esparza’s wrestling is always a threat and has seen her earn wins over the likes of Xiaonan, Alexa Grasso and Marina Rodriguez.
You can watch the full interview below:
