Carla Esparza is a mixed martial artist from Redondo Beach, California. She attended Redondo Union High School, where she competed in basketball, running, and wrestling, earning a four-year wrestling scholarship to Menlo College.
Esparza began her professional MMA career in 2010, winning her debut against Cassie Trost by technical knockout. She went on to compete in various promotions, including Bellator and Xtreme Fighting Championships, where she won several fights, including a unanimous decision against Felice Herrig.
In 2012, Esparza signed with Invicta Fighting Championships and won the strawweight title by defeating Hyatt via unanimous decision. She successfully defended her title once before being forced to withdraw from her next title defense due to a knee injury.
In 2013, Esparza was acquired by the UFC and competed on The Ultimate Fighter 20, where she won three exhibition bouts and advanced to the finals. She defeated Rose Namajunas by rear-naked choke to become the UFC's first strawweight champion.
Esparza has had a successful career, winning the Invicta FC strawweight title and the UFC strawweight title. She has also competed in various other promotions, including Bellator and Xtreme Fighting Championships.
