UFC Boss Says Carla Esparza is ‘100 Percent’ Next for Strawweight Queen Rose Namajunas

After some initial hesitation from the UFC, it appears the promotion is ready to book a strawweight championship rematch between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza.

UFC president Dana White confirmed in an interview with ESPN that Esparza is next in line for a 115-pound title shot. A date for the proposed bout was not revealed.

“Carla Esparza (is next),” White said. “100 percent.”

Esparza and Namajunas initially squared off at “The Ultimate Fighter 20” finale with the promotion’s inaugural strawweight title at stake. Esparza captured the belt via third-round submission in the December 2014 bout but relinquished the crown in a second-round KO loss to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her next outing. “The Cookie Monster” went 3-3 in UFC competition from 2016 to 2018 before embarking on a five-bout winning streak that propelled her to her current No. 1 contender status.

Namajunas, meanwhile, is currently on her second championship reign in the strawweight division. She reclaimed the belt with a first-round KO of Weili Zhang at UFC 261 and most recently, took a split verdict over Zhang in a rematch at UFC 268.