SUNRISE, Fla. – Former strawweight champion Carla Esparza admits she put a lot of pressure on herself moments before walking out to the octagon at UFC on ESPN+ 8.
“When I was in the locker room, like … shoot, shoot,” Esparza told MMA Junkie. “I’ve never come off two losses before. I’ve never had two losses in a row. So, for me, that third one, I kept telling myself, ‘You cannot lose this fight no matter what.’ I was willing to go in there and go through anything to get that win.”
Esparza’s mental approach worked out in the end. She defeated newcomer Virna Jandiroba this past Saturday at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., to snap a two-fight losing streak. As Esparza mentioned, the victory meant she avoided the first three-fight skid of her career.
Back in the win column, Esparza said now is all about rebuilding her momentum toward a title shot. She’s realistic about the fact that she’s not that close – but also knows that, in her division specifically, she’s not that far off, either.
Esparza won the inaugural UFC strawweight title in December 2014 by submitting current champ Rose Namajunas after the two competed on “The Ultimate Fighter 20.” Three months later, Esparza lost the belt to Joanna Jedrzejczyk via TKO.
Speaking of which, if a title shot isn’t immediately on the horizon, Esparza definitely would love the opportunity to get that one back with Jędrzejczyk.
“Honestly, I’ve thought about that a lot since the fight happened,” Esparza said. “Not to take anything away from her win, but I really wasn’t in the best place. I think she’s gotten better, I’ve gotten better, and I would definitely be welcomed to that fight again. No matter what happens in that fight, it would be a much different fight than it was the first time.”
To hear more from Esparza, watch her post-fight scrum in the video above.
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 8, check out the UFC Eventssection of the site.
