UFC 274 now has its co-main event.
Women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas will defend her title against Carla Esparza in the co-main at the Footprint Center on May 7 in Phoenix, Arizona, Sports Illustrated has learned.
This will be a five-round title bout, marking Namajunas’s second title defense in her second reign as champ. Namajunas (11–4) defeated Zhang Weili last November at Madison Square Garden at UFC 268, her second consecutive victory against Weili.
The fight at 274 is a rematch from December 2014, which Esparza (18–6) won by submission to crown herself the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight champion. Namajunas seeks to avenge that loss and cement her place atop the division. Esparza, who lost the belt only months later in 2015, now holds an opportunity—one that’s seven years in the making—to become a two-time champion. She will bring her five-fight win streak into 274, attempting to add a sixth straight victory to her record and rewrite her place in UFC history as one of the most elite fighters in the division.
The 274 pay-per-view is poised to become an instant contender for fight card of the year. Already headlined by UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira against Justin Gaethje, the 274 card also includes Michael Chandler against Tony Ferguson, as well as Donald Cerrone-Joe Lauzon.
The Namajunas-Esparza bout is expected to be made official by the UFC on Thursday.
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