“Cookie Monster” Women's Strawweight
Carla Esparza
10-6-0
UFC record, 16 fights, 224.3 min
20-8-0 C
Pro record, all promotions, as ufcstats lists it
2-2
in 4 title fights
- Height
- 5'1"
- Reach
- 63"
- Weight
- 115 lb
- Stance
- Orthodox
- Born
- Sat, Oct 10, 1987, age 38
- First UFC fight
- Fri, Dec 12, 2014
- Latest UFC fight
- Sat, Oct 5, 2024
01/How he wins
in 10 wins
1 KO/TKO (punches to head from crucifix) and 1 submission (rear naked choke), 8 decisions in 10 wins
| How the fight ended | His wins | His losses |
|---|---|---|
| KO/TKO | 1 | 2 |
| Submission | 1 | 1 |
| Decision | 8 | 3 |
| All | 10 | 6 |
02/Career rates
16 fights, 224.3 min
Sig strikes landed
2.19 per min
492 in 224.3 min, 16 fights
Sig strike accuracy
39.5%
492 of 1,247 attempts
Sig strikes absorbed
2.87 per min
644 of 1,412 landed on him in 224.3 min
Takedowns
3.28 per 15 min
49 of 135 · 224.3 min
Takedown accuracy
36.3%
49 of 135 attempts
Takedown defence
17 of 36
defended of attempted on him, 224.3 min
Control time
4:15 per 15 min
63:28 of 224:19
Knockdowns
0
scored in 224.3 min, 16 fights
Submission attempts
0.27 per 15 min
4 in 224.3 min
Where his sig strikes land
57% distance, 13% clinch, 30% ground
280 distance, 63 clinch, 149 ground of 492 landed
What he hits
74% head, 14% body, 12% leg
363 head, 71 body, 58 leg of 492 landed
Cage time
224:19
16 fights, the minutes every rate above is counted in
03/Title fights
2-2 in 4
- Lv Zhang WeiliWomen's Strawweight, title fight. Sat, Nov 12, 2022, UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira. Submission, R2 1:05
- Wv Rose NamajunasWomen's Strawweight, title fight. Sat, May 7, 2022, UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje. Split decision, R5 5:00
- Lv Joanna JedrzejczykWomen's Strawweight, title fight. Sat, Mar 14, 2015, UFC 185: Pettis vs Dos Anjos. KO/TKO, R2 4:17
- Wv Rose NamajunasWomen's Strawweight, title fight. Fri, Dec 12, 2014, The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale. Submission, R3 1:26
04/By division
1 division
| Fights | Record | Min | Sig strikes | Per min | Takedowns | Control | KD | Finishes in wins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Strawweight | 16 | 10-6-0 | 224.3 | 492 of 1,247 | 2.19 | 49 of 135 | 63:28 of 224:19 | 0 | 2 in 10 |
| All | 16 | 10-6-0 | 224.3 | 492 of 1,247 | 2.19 | 49 of 135 | 63:28 of 224:19 | 0 | 2 in 10 |
05/By year
2014 to 2024
| Fights | Record | Min | Sig strikes | Per min | Takedowns | Control | KD | Finishes in wins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 0-1-0 | 15.0 | 39 of 123 | 2.60 | 4 of 7 | 3:40 of 15:00 | 0 | 0 in 0 |
| 2022 | 2 | 1-1-0 | 31.1 | 36 of 165 | 1.16 | 3 of 15 | 1:17 of 31:05 | 0 | 0 in 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1-0-0 | 8.0 | 27 of 33 | 3.39 | 3 of 3 | 7:18 of 7:58 | 0 | 1 in 1 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2-0-0 | 30.0 | 78 of 163 | 2.60 | 6 of 19 | 9:40 of 30:00 | 0 | 0 in 2 |
| 2019 | 2 | 2-0-0 | 30.0 | 69 of 131 | 2.30 | 8 of 21 | 12:37 of 30:00 | 0 | 0 in 2 |
| 2018 | 2 | 0-2-0 | 29.6 | 49 of 113 | 1.66 | 2 of 6 | 3:40 of 29:33 | 0 | 0 in 0 |
| 2017 | 3 | 2-1-0 | 45.0 | 120 of 365 | 2.67 | 12 of 33 | 9:29 of 45:00 | 0 | 0 in 2 |
| 2016 | 1 | 1-0-0 | 15.0 | 28 of 42 | 1.87 | 5 of 7 | 9:35 of 15:00 | 0 | 0 in 1 |
| 2015 | 1 | 0-1-0 | 9.3 | 4 of 22 | 0.43 | 1 of 17 | 1:09 of 9:17 | 0 | 0 in 0 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1-0-0 | 11.4 | 42 of 90 | 3.67 | 5 of 7 | 5:03 of 11:26 | 0 | 1 in 1 |
| All | 16 | 10-6-0 | 224.3 | 492 of 1,247 | 2.19 | 49 of 135 | 63:28 of 224:19 | 0 | 2 in 10 |
A career line lumps every year together, and a fighter’s 2014 does not describe his 2026. Each year here is the same count over that year’s fights alone, with its own minutes, so it can be read against the career line beneath it.
06/By round
in the fights that reached it
| Fights reached | Min in it | Sig strikes | Per min | Takedowns | Control | KD | Sub att | Ended here | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 16 of 16 | 80.0 | 136 of 360 | 1.70 | 17 of 37 | 26:27 of 80:00 | 0 | 1 | |
| Round 2 | 16 of 16 | 73.3 | 170 of 391 | 2.32 | 14 of 46 | 20:50 of 73:20 | 0 | 2 | 3, won 1 |
| Round 3 | 13 of 16 | 61.0 | 173 of 436 | 2.84 | 16 of 45 | 15:51 of 60:59 | 0 | 1 | 12, won 8 |
| Round 4 | 1 of 16 | 5.0 | 8 of 29 | 1.60 | 2 of 5 | 0:20 of 5:00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Round 5 | 1 of 16 | 5.0 | 5 of 31 | 1.00 | 0 of 2 | 0:00 of 5:00 | 0 | 0 | 1, won 1 |
Round length is read from each fight’s round format, so a 12-minute opening round from 1995 counts its twelve minutes. A round is counted only for the fights that reached it; the first column is the denominator for the rest of the row.
07/Fight log
16 fights, newest first
| Date | Opponent | Result | Sig strikes | Takedowns | Control | KD | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Oct 5, 2024UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. | Tecia PenningtonWomen's Strawweight | LUnanimous decision, R3 5:00Sal D'amato 28 - 29. Steve Faragher 28 - 29. Dan Furse 27 - 30. | 39 of 123 | 4 of 7 | 3:40 | 0 | 15:00 | Rounds |
| Sat, Nov 12, 2022UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira | Zhang WeiliWomen's Strawweight, title fight | LSubmission, R2 1:05Rear Naked Choke From back crucifix | 6 of 32 | 1 of 4 | 0:55 | 0 | 6:05 | Rounds |
| Sat, May 7, 2022UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje | Rose NamajunasWomen's Strawweight, title fight | WSplit decision, R5 5:00Brad Frank 47 - 48. Rick Winter 46 - 49. Eric Colon 48 - 47. | 30 of 133 | 2 of 11 | 0:22 | 0 | 25:00 | Rounds |
| Sat, May 22, 2021UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt | Yan XiaonanWomen's Strawweight | WKO/TKO, R2 2:58Punches to Head From Crucifix | 27 of 33 | 3 of 3 | 7:18 | 0 | 7:58 | Rounds |
| Sat, Jul 25, 2020UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till | Marina RodriguezWomen's Strawweight | WSplit decision, R3 5:00Ben Cartlidge 28 - 29. Anders Ohlsson 29 - 28. Clemens Werner 27 - 30. | 33 of 60 | 5 of 9 | 8:54 | 0 | 15:00 | Rounds |
| Sat, May 9, 2020UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje | Michelle Waterson-GomezWomen's Strawweight | WSplit decision, R3 5:00Dave Tirelli 30 - 27. Sal D'amato 28 - 29. Howard Reichbach 27 - 30. | 45 of 103 | 1 of 10 | 0:46 | 0 | 15:00 | Rounds |
| Sat, Sep 21, 2019UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Stephens | Alexa GrassoWomen's Strawweight | WMajority decision, R3 5:00Brian Puccillo 28 - 28. Doug Crosby 28 - 29. Rick Winter 28 - 29. | 44 of 80 | 4 of 11 | 7:12 | 0 | 15:00 | Rounds |
| Sat, Apr 27, 2019UFC Fight Night: Jacare vs. Hermansson | Virna JandirobaWomen's Strawweight | WUnanimous decision, R3 5:00Barry Luxenberg 27 - 30. Derek Cleary 28 - 29. Sal D'amato 28 - 29. | 25 of 51 | 4 of 10 | 5:25 | 0 | 15:00 | Rounds |
| Sat, Sep 8, 2018UFC 228: Woodley vs. Till | Tatiana SuarezWomen's Strawweight | LKO/TKO, R3 4:33Punches to Head From Guard | 6 of 10 | 0 of 2 | 0:04 | 0 | 14:33 | Rounds |
| Sat, Jun 9, 2018UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2 | Claudia GadelhaWomen's Strawweight | LSplit decision, R3 5:00Brian Puccillo 28 - 29. Kelvin Caldwell 29 - 28. Mike Bell 28 - 29. | 43 of 103 | 2 of 4 | 3:36 | 0 | 15:00 | Rounds |
| Sat, Dec 30, 2017UFC 219: Cyborg vs. Holm | Cynthia CalvilloWomen's Strawweight | WUnanimous decision, R3 5:00Sal D'amato 28 - 29. Junichiro Kamijo 28 - 29. Marcos Rosales 28 - 29. | 48 of 138 | 2 of 9 | 0:22 | 0 | 15:00 | Rounds |
| Sun, Jun 25, 2017UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Lee | Maryna MorozWomen's Strawweight | WUnanimous decision, R3 5:00Brian Puccillo 27 - 30. David Sutherland 28 - 29. Glenn Trowbridge 28 - 29. | 40 of 95 | 6 of 14 | 6:22 | 0 | 15:00 | Rounds |
| Sun, Feb 19, 2017UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Browne | Randa MarkosWomen's Strawweight | LSplit decision, R3 5:00Robert MacAvoy 29 - 28. Hubert Earle 28 - 29. Don Robinson 28 - 29. | 32 of 132 | 4 of 10 | 2:45 | 0 | 15:00 | Rounds |
| Sat, Apr 23, 2016UFC 197: Jones vs Saint Preux | Juliana LimaWomen's Strawweight | WUnanimous decision, R3 5:00Derek Cleary 27 - 30. Jeff Mullen 27 - 30. Junichiro Kamijo 27 - 30. | 28 of 42 | 5 of 7 | 9:35 | 0 | 15:00 | Rounds |
| Sat, Mar 14, 2015UFC 185: Pettis vs Dos Anjos | Joanna JedrzejczykWomen's Strawweight, title fight | LKO/TKO, R2 4:17Punches to Head In Clinch | 4 of 22 | 1 of 17 | 1:09 | 0 | 9:17 | Rounds |
| Fri, Dec 12, 2014The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale | Rose NamajunasWomen's Strawweight, title fight | WSubmission, R3 1:26Rear Naked Choke | 42 of 90 | 5 of 7 | 5:03 | 0 | 11:26 | Rounds |
UFC bouts only, counted from the fight rows; the promotion’s listed pro record above covers every promotion and is a different denominator. Volume is per minute of cage time and accuracy per attempt; how he finishes is counted in his wins, the one place a fight is the unit. Significant strikes only. Control time the source did not record is absent, never 0:00.