Carla Esparza and Tecia Pennington squared off in an exhibition bout during “The Ultimate Fighter 20” nearly a decade ago.
Ten years later, the two will fight again, this time in a three-round pro strawweight contest Oct. 5 at UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Two people with knowledge of the targeted matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Verbal agreements are in place with bout agreements expected to be signed in the coming days.
Esparza (19-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) has not competed since a title challenge loss to Zhang Weili by TKO in November 2022 snapped a six-fight winning streak. She gave birth to a baby boy in September and resumed sparring in July.
Pennington (13-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) aims to snap a two-fight skid. Prior to back-to-back defeats against Mackenzie Dern and Tabatha Ricci, Pennington compiled three-straight wins over Brianna Foutinho, Sam Hughes, and Angela Hill.
The two fighters were “TUF 20” cast members in 2010. The season was coached by Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez. Esparza defeated Pennington (nee Torres) by two-round unanimous decision. Esparza went on to win the season and become the first-ever UFC women’s strawweight champion.
With the addition, the UFC 307 lineup includes:
- Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling
- Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista
- Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira
- Chris Curtis vs. Kevin Holland
- Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington
- Iasmin Lucindo vs. Marina Rodriguez
- Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.
