Carla Esparza [SEP] residence
Bellator MMA's first women's tournament. As of April 16, 2019, she is #9 in the strawweight rankings.
Amateur and collegiate wrestling.
Carla Esparza's foray into mixed martial arts (MMA) began when she started wrestling for the varsity team during her junior year at Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California. After winning multiple local and national high-school wrestling tournaments, Esparza was awarded a scholarship to Menlo College to wrestle under coach and former two-time Olympian Lee Allen.
Carla Esparza
Carla Kristen Esparza (born October 10, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Largely known for her grappling abilities, Esparza was the first UFC Strawweight Champion, the first Invicta FC Strawweight Champion, and was generally considered the best strawweight fighter in the world while holding each title. She earned the UFC championship by winning a 16-woman tournament that was televised on the reality series "The Ultimate Fighter". She also competed in