// Roster Index›Women's Strawweight›Dossier · Carla Esparza
UFC FIGHTER PROFILE_
UFC · UNKNOWNSTOCK 0WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT

Carla
Esparza

NICKNAME"Cookie Monster"·UNITED STATES
PROFESSIONAL RECORD
19-8-0
CURRENT FORM
2L STREAK
NEXT FIGHT
NO BOUT ANNOUNCED
Carla Esparza
FIGHTER -
UNI🇺🇸
PROFILE PHOTO
PROFILE
PROFILE DATA! COLD
HEIGHT
5'1"
REACH
5'3"
AGE
39
STANCE
ORTHODOX
WEIGHT
Women's Strawweight
PROFESSIONAL RECORD_
27 BOUTS
WIN
19
LOSS
8
DRAW
0
WIN RATE
70%
19/27 bouts
FINISH RATE
42%
of professional wins
LAST 5 FIGHTS2L STREAK · 3-2
WWWLL
Form trend 0 over the last 90 days.
STYLE SUMMARY_
DATA: COLD
FIGHTING STYLE
WELL ROUNDED

Well rounded fighter with no dominant single weapon — 58% of wins are by dec.

KEY STRENGTHS

Banks rounds on the scorecard — pace and positioning over splash damage.

KEY RISKS

Volume strikers have outpointed across full fights — output drops after R2.

// PERFORMANCE_METRICS · 02_

STRIKE / GRAPPLE
VITALS

Observed profile rates compared with stored weight-class medians where coverage exists. Any fallback uses a labeled UFC reference average; no fallback is presented as a division median.

// SLPM▼ BELOW
2.19
Strikes Landed/Min
Reference value 3.67
// STR. ACC▼ BELOW
39%
Striking Accuracy
Reference value 44%
// SAPM▲ ABOVE
2.87
Strikes Absorbed/Min
Reference value 4.18
// STR. DEF▼ BELOW
54%
Striking Defense
Reference value 54%
// TD AVG▲ ABOVE
3.28
Takedowns/15 min
Reference value 1.00
// TD ACC▼ BELOW
36%
Takedown Accuracy
Reference value 36%
// TD DEF▼ BELOW
47%
Takedown Defense
Reference value 62%
// SUB AVG▼ BELOW
0.30
Submissions/15 min
Reference value 0.30
// QUALITY_OF_COMPETITION · 02B_

WHO THEY
ACTUALLY FOUGHT

A record says how often a fighter won, not against whom. These ratings weigh every result by the opponent's strength at the time, then compare this fighter with the 59 rated fighters on the UFC women's strawweight roster (anyone with a UFC bout in the last two years or one booked).

// RATING
#4
against the 59 rated on the UFC women's strawweight roster · Elo 1621
// STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
90th
percentile · average opponent rated 1581 at fight time (recent fights count most)
// RESULTS VS EXPECTATION
44th
percentile · fell short of what opponents' ratings predicted (-0.07 per fight)

26 rated fights · opponents rated in 96% of recorded fights · last rated fight OCT 5, 2024

// CAREER_BREAKDOWN · 03_

WIN CONDITION MAP

Where the wins come from, and where the losses came from. Method splits by knockout, submission, and decision.

// WINS (19)
n = 19
KO/TKO · 4
SUB · 4
DEC · 11
4
KO/TKO
21%
4
SUB
21%
11
DEC
58%
// LOSSES (8)
n = 8
KO/TKO · 2
SUB · 2
DEC · 4
2
KO/TKO
25%
2
SUB
25%
4
DEC
50%
// PATH_TO_VICTORY_
42% FINISH
KO/TKOEARLY ROUNDS · 4 fights
21%
SUBANY ROUND · 4 fights
21%
DECFULL FIGHT · 11 fights
58%
Top win condition: ko/tko · early rounds.
// DNA_PROFILE · 04_

ATTRIBUTE FINGERPRINT

Evidence-backed 0-100 scores built only from observed profile stats and disclosed bout-history proxies. This is a fixed Blueprint scoring model, not a division percentile; missing axes remain unknown.

// DNA_PROFILE_
3 OBSERVED7 DERIVED0 UNKNOWN
// BENCHMARK
FIXED SCORE SCALE
// LINKED SAMPLE
27 BOUTS
// PROFILE UPDATED
OCT 25, 2026
// RECORDED SOURCE
ufcstats
Fighter attribute fingerprint10 of 10 attributes have evidence-backed scores on the Blueprint fixed scale. Unknown axes are not plotted and no score represents a division percentile.KO POWER30TD DEFENSE20GRAPPLING60CHIN79STRIKING25CARDIO80AGGRESSION29SUB THREAT20STR DEFENSE53RECOVERY71
// BANDS
90+ELITE
70-89STRONG
45-69AVERAGE
30-44BELOW
<30LOW
N/AUNKNOWN
Highest scored axis: Cardio. Lowest scored axis: Sub Threat.
// EVIDENCE REGISTER
10 SCORED · 0 OPEN
KO Power30
DERIVED PROXY

KO wins divided by total career wins

N=19 wins
TD Defense20
OBSERVED INPUT

Observed takedown defense rate (47%)

Grappling60
DERIVED PROXY

Composite of observed takedown volume, accuracy, and submission rate

Chin79
DERIVED PROXY

KO-loss durability proxy from career record

N=27 bouts
Striking25
DERIVED PROXY

Composite of observed striking volume and accuracy

Cardio80
DERIVED PROXY

Long-fight exposure proxy from bout duration and decision-win share

Aggression29
DERIVED PROXY

Activity proxy from observed strike and takedown volume

Sub Threat20
OBSERVED INPUT

Observed submission rate (0.3 per 15 min)

Str Defense53
OBSERVED INPUT

Observed striking defense rate (54%)

Recovery71
DERIVED PROXY

Share of recorded losses followed by a win in the next recorded bout.

N=8 losses
Fighter attribute fingerprint accessible data summary
AttributeScoreProvenanceEvidenceSample
KO Power30 out of 100DERIVED PROXYKO wins divided by total career wins19 wins
TD Defense20 out of 100OBSERVED INPUTObserved takedown defense rate (47%)Not recorded
Grappling60 out of 100DERIVED PROXYComposite of observed takedown volume, accuracy, and submission rateNot recorded
Chin79 out of 100DERIVED PROXYKO-loss durability proxy from career record27 bouts
Striking25 out of 100DERIVED PROXYComposite of observed striking volume and accuracyNot recorded
Cardio80 out of 100DERIVED PROXYLong-fight exposure proxy from bout duration and decision-win shareNot recorded
Aggression29 out of 100DERIVED PROXYActivity proxy from observed strike and takedown volumeNot recorded
Sub Threat20 out of 100OBSERVED INPUTObserved submission rate (0.3 per 15 min)Not recorded
Str Defense53 out of 100OBSERVED INPUTObserved striking defense rate (54%)Not recorded
Recovery71 out of 100DERIVED PROXYShare of recorded losses followed by a win in the next recorded bout.8 losses
// CAREER_MOMENTUM · 05_

THE ARC SO FAR

Rolling momentum score (0-100) recomputed after every bout. Weighted blend of result, opponent context, and method-of-finish, designed to show the shape, not the destination.

// MOMENTUM_TIMELINE_
SCOREWINLOSS
0255075100FEB 2010WFEB 2010WAPR 2010WJUL 2010LAUG 2010WDEC 2010WAPR 2011LJUN 2011WDEC 2011WJUL 2012WOCT 2012WJAN 2013WDEC 2014LMAR 2015WAPR 2016LFEB 2017WJUN 2017WDEC 2017LJUN 2018LSEP 2018WAPR 2019WSEP 2019WMAY 2020WJUL 2020WMAY 2021WMAY 2022LNOV 2022LOCT 2024// SCORE

  1. Start, FEB 2010, momentum score 45.
  2. Start, FEB 2010, momentum score 56, KO/TKO R1.
  3. Start, APR 2010, momentum score 65, SUB R2.
  4. Start, JUL 2010, momentum score 75, SUB R2.
  5. Start, AUG 2010, momentum score 68, SUB R2.
  6. Start, DEC 2010, momentum score 75, DEC R3.
  7. Start, APR 2011, momentum score 85, SUB R1.
  8. Start, JUN 2011, momentum score 78, DEC R3.
  9. Start, DEC 2011, momentum score 85, DEC R3.
  10. Start, JUL 2012, momentum score 94, KO/TKO R2.
  11. Start, OCT 2012, momentum score 100, KO/TKO R1.
  12. Start, JAN 2013, momentum score 100, DEC R5.
  13. Start, DEC 2014, momentum score 100, SUB R3.
  14. Start, MAR 2015, momentum score 93, KO/TKO R2.
  15. Start, APR 2016, momentum score 100, DEC R3.
  16. Start, FEB 2017, momentum score 93, DEC R3.
  17. Start, JUN 2017, momentum score 100, DEC R3.
  18. Start, DEC 2017, momentum score 100, DEC R3.
  19. Start, JUN 2018, momentum score 93, DEC R3.
  20. Start, SEP 2018, momentum score 86, KO/TKO R3.
  21. Start, APR 2019, momentum score 93, DEC R3.
  22. Start, SEP 2019, momentum score 100, DEC R3.
  23. Start, MAY 2020, momentum score 100, DEC R3.
  24. Start, JUL 2020, momentum score 100, DEC R3.
  25. Start, MAY 2021, momentum score 100, KO/TKO R2.
  26. Start, MAY 2022, momentum score 100, DEC R5.
  27. Start, NOV 2022, momentum score 93, SUB R2.
  28. Start, OCT 2024, momentum score 86, DEC R3.

Peaked at 100 (W vs Alvarez), bottomed at 45 (Debut). Current reading: 86.

// KILL_SHOT_MATRIX · 06_

WHEN THE FINISHES COME

Cross-tab of fight outcome by method and round. Reads top-down for method, left-right for round. Cyan intensity scales with frequency.

// METHOD × ROUND_
27/27 fights mapped
METHOD ↓ / ROUND →R1R2R3R4R5FREQ
KO/TKO
2
7%
3
11%
1
4%
-
-
6
total
SUB
1
4%
4
15%
1
4%
-
-
6
total
DEC
-
-
13
48%
-
2
7%
15
total
// PRIMARY KILL ZONE
R1-R2 KO/TKO · 5 of 27 mapped
// LATE-FIGHT GAP
No R5 finishes either way
// DECISION RATE
56%, fights often go the distance
// FIGHT_HISTORY · 08_

BOUT LOG
27 FIGHTS

Detailed bout records for the indexed tenure. Sorted most recent first.

L
VS Tecia PenningtonOct 5, 2024
DecisionR3 · 5:00
UFC 307 - Pereira vs. Rountree
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
Decision (Unanimous)
L
VS Weili ZhangNov 12, 2022
SubmissionR2 · 1:05
UFC 281 - Adesanya vs. Pereira
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)
W
VS Rose NamajunasMay 7, 2022
DecisionR5 · 5:00
UFC 274 - Oliveira vs. Gaethje
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
Decision (Split)
W
VS Xiaonan YanMay 22, 2021
KO/TKOR2 · 2:58
UFC Fight Night 188 - Font vs. Garbrandt
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
TKO (Punches)
W
VS Marina RodriguezJul 25, 2020
DecisionR3 · 5:00
UFC on ESPN 14 - Whittaker vs. Till
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
Decision (Split)
W
VS Michelle Waterson-GomezMay 9, 2020
DecisionR3 · 5:00
UFC 249 - Ferguson vs. Gaethje
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
Decision (Split)
W
VS Alexa GrassoSep 21, 2019
DecisionR3 · 5:00
UFC Fight Night 159 - Rodriguez vs. Stephens
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
Decision (Majority)
W
VS Virna JandirobaApr 27, 2019
DecisionR3 · 5:00
UFC Fight Night 150 - Jacare vs. Hermansson
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
Decision (Unanimous)
L
VS Tatiana SuarezSep 8, 2018
KO/TKOR3 · 4:33
UFC 228 - Woodley vs. Till
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
TKO (Punches)
L
VS Claudia GadelhaJun 9, 2018
DecisionR3 · 5:00
UFC 225 - Whittaker vs. Romero 2
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
Decision (Split)
W
VS Cynthia CalvilloDec 30, 2017
DecisionR3 · 5:00
UFC 219 - Cyborg vs. Holm
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
Decision (Unanimous)
W
VS Maryna MorozJun 25, 2017
DecisionR3 · 5:00
UFC Fight Night 112 - Chiesa vs. Lee
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
Decision (Unanimous)
// FAQ · 09_

CITATION-READY ANSWERS

Quick answers based on the public fighter profile and fight history shown on this page.

Women's Strawweight. Professional record 19-8. Unranked at the time of indexing.

Research Carla Esparza

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// FORECAST_AVAILABLE_
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// LAST INDEX SYNC · 2026-10-28