A women’s strawweight showdown between Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez has been rescheduled for “Fight Island” on July 25.
Esparza and Rodriguez were initially supposed to square off on July 15 before one of Rodriguez’s corners tested positive for COVID-19. Rodriguez’s result was negative, but she still had to be pulled from the card for precautionary reasons. MMAFighting.com was first to report the new date. The UFC Fight Night event takes place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Darren Till.
Esparza is currently on a three-bout winning streak in UFC competition. Most recently, the former 115-pound champ garnered a split verdict over Michelle Waterson at UFC 249. Her current streak also includes triumphs over Alexa Grasso and Virna Jandiroba.
Rodriguez is unbeaten in 14 professional appearances, though that mark includes majority draws against Cynthia Calvillo and Randa Markos in the Octagon. The 33-year-old Brazilian owns notable wins over Tecia Torres and Jessica Aguilar in the UFC.