Carla Esparza recently shared her aspiration to secure a place in the UFC Hall of Fame as she approaches her retirement fight.
Esparza is gearing up to step into the Octagon for the final time, as she is set to face Tecia Pennington on the preliminary card of UFC 307. This highly anticipated pay-per-view event will take place this Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The 36-year-old Californian has previously announced that UFC 307 will mark the end of her illustrious 15-year career as she prepares to hang up her gloves for good.
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"Cookie Monster" began her professional journey in February 2010, securing a first-round TKO victory against Cassie Trost under the regional promotion Respect in the Cage. She fought her way through various organizations before ultimately entering the UFC as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 20 in 2014.
Esparza etched her name in the history books by submitting Rose Namajunas in the third round, becoming the first UFC strawweight champion at the TUF season finale. However, her reign was short-lived, as she later lost the title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185 in March 2015.
Esparza endured an arduous journey of 11 fights over seven years to reclaim the 115-pound championship, ultimately securing a split-decision victory against Namajunas at UFC 274 in May 2022.
Esparza Wants To Join The Ranks Of Jedrzejczyk & Ronda Rousey To Cap Off Her MMA Career
During a recent interview with Brian Campbell, "Cookie Monster" reflected on her journey in MMA, with a particular focus on her time in the UFC. When asked about her place in the history of the division, which has significantly evolved during her tenure, the former two-time strawweight champion expressed her desire to conclude her career with an induction into the UFC Hall of Fame.
I'd love to eventually be in the Hall of Fame. I mean, that would be so cool," Esparza said. "I think winning the title the first time was like seeing where I was as a fighter then to where I am now; there's been so much growth. I mean, you have to grow to still stay in this division with all these killers. Everyone is so good, and there's young blood constantly coming through the UFC. You have to be at such a high level even just to compete with these people, so it's cool to have been able to stay at this high level and compete with all these youngsters coming in.
Should Esparza be inducted into the Hall of Fame, she would become just the third woman in UFC history to receive this honor, standing alongside the legendary Jedrzejczyk and Ronda Rousey.
"Cookie Monster" is set to make her return to the Octagon after nearly two years, following her defeat to Zhang Weili, who submitted her in the second round at UFC 281 in November 2022.