Carla Esparza was given her flowers, but not a win, in her retirement fight during the early prelims at UFC 307, losing by decision to Tecia Pennington.
The fight served as a rematch from both women's time during season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, which Esparza went on to win and become the first UFC strawweight champion.
Esparza found herself in some trouble early in the opening round, as Pennington appeared to be ripping her apart on the feet, and her legs were battered by low kicks. Once the fight went to the ground, however, "Cookie Monster" was in complete control, maintaining top position for about three minutes.
The second frame proved to be close, though Pennington had the upper hand in striking once again. Esparza's striking picked up in the third stanza, and she could have finished Pennington had there been more time in the round.
Pennington, however, continued to beat down the legs of Esparza, making her eat leg kick after leg kick.
The judges ultimately gave the close fight to Pennington, with two 29-28 cards and a 30-27.
Carla Esparza Retires Following Loss To Tecia Pennington At UFC 307
It's been an amazing journey, these last 15 years," Esparza said in the Octagon following the fight. "I've fought the best of the best. It's not always easy. There's ups and downs in this sport, but I wouldn't have done it any other way. This is the greatest sport in the world.
Esparza was given a tribute video following the fight.
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Esparza began her professional MMA career in 2010, going 6-2, including a pair of fights in Bellator, before finding a stride in the initial days of Invicta FC in 2012. At Invicta FC 4, Esparza defeated Bec Rawlings to become the inaugural strawweight champion of the promotion.
By the next year, however, "Cookie Monster" would sign with the UFC and be a contestant on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, which determined the UFC's inaugural champion of its then-new women's strawweight division.
Esparza defeated Angela Hill, Pennington (then-Tecia Torres), and Jessica Penne before finishing Rose Namajunas to win the tournament and championship. Esparza subsequently lost the belt in her first defense at UFC 185, dropping it to Joanna Jędrzejczyk.
The wrestling specialist went 3-3 in her next six fights before starting a noteworthy win streak in 2019, having her hand raised in six straight. That run was highlighted by a second-round finish of Yan Xiaonan and culminated in her beating Namajunas again at UFC 274 to become a two-time UFC strawweight champion.
Esparza, again, lost the title in her first defense, getting finished by current champ Weili Zhang at UFC 281. This was Esparza's most recent fight prior to tonight, as she gave birth to her son in September 2023.