The UFC’s Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale went off last night in Las Vegas, seeing Carla Esparza crowned the first ever UFC strawweight champion as she took out Rose Namajunas with a rear-naked choke in round three. Esparza put on a dominant performance, even though she was coming in as the underdog to the fight at about (+140).
So much for Namajunas, the self professed ‘next Ronda Rousey.’ Namajunas had a great run on the reality TV show, winning three fights to earn her spot in the finals. She was impressive, as she finished all of her opponents via submission. So impressive that she walked into her fight with Esparza as the betting favorite. Namajunas entered the final with the spotlight clearly on her, and she did a good job in building up the hype and enjoying the moment.
Esparza came into the reality show as the No. 1 seed, and though Namajunas worked her way through her side of the bracket impressively, Esparza did as well and in facing Jessica Penne and Tecia Torres. She also had the tougher slate of competition and a quiet confidence about her, showcased by her little smiles during the weigh-ins and the face-off. She likely knew in the back of her mind, that with her compact body type compared to Namajunas’ length, that her wrestling technique would be a big factor.
Namajunas was wrestling light, and Esparza got the takedown at will throughout the fight, and she was able to work to the mount position and dominate. Namajunas’ best moments were in the opening round, but by the second round it was all Esparza and by the third round it was over.
The other two semifinalists, Penne and Randa Markos, were in a near pick ’em fight, and after three rounds the split decision win went to Penne. Markos did quite well for a girl who came into the show as a 14 seed, and Penne, who is a former Invicta titleholder, had her hands full with Markos.
Here is Carla Esparza’s post-fight interview from the ‘Ultimate Fighter 20’ Finale, the first ever UFC female Strawweight Champion:
