A lot can change in seven-and-a-half-years. A lot has changed in seven-and-a-half years. But still, some things stay the same.
Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza will meet in a rematch for the strawweight championship this Saturday at UFC 274. Their first title fight was the culmination of “The Ultimate Fighter 20” reality series that featured 16 women vying for the inaugural UFC strawweight title. And on Dec. 12, 2014, it was Esparza who submitted Namajunas in the third round to claim gold at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale in Las Vegas.
Now, in the rematch, it’ll be Namajunas putting her 115-pound title on the line against Esparza, who marvels at the fact that the two of them get to do this all over again.
“To be fighting the same person for the title, it’s wild,” Esparza said. “Going back to our ‘Ultimate Fighter’ season, a lot of the people from the show – some aren’t even fighting anymore. Some have retired; some are no longer with the UFC. So, it’s crazy that not only are we both still here, we’re fighting for the title. It just brings back a lot of memories from the first time.”
This begs the question: Whatever happened to the ladies featured on “TUF 20”? Below is a quick look at each cast member.
