Carla Esparza is certain that her MMA career will be over for good when Saturday’s UFC 307 fight vs. Tecia Pennington comes to an end.
Former two-time UFC strawweight champion Esparza (19-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) will return to competition for the first time since losing the belt to Zhang Weili at UFC 281 in November 2022. Her extended hiatus had a life-altering purpose as Esparza gave birth to her first child, Donovan, who recently celebrated his 1st birthday.
Esparza said it was always the goal to step back in the octagon after motherhood, but she didn’t know for how long. Her return vs. Pennington (13-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) was booked in late July, and almost immediately thereafter Esparza announced it would be her retirement fight.
