Carla Kristen Esparza, popularly known as Carla Esparza, but better known as The Cookie Monster, is one of the most prestigious professional names in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA); she currently competes in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is considered one of the best strawweight fighters in the world.
The UFC star has a big name and massive celebrity in her professional career as she was the former UFC Strawweight Champion and Invicta FC Strawweight, who is most popular for her grappling skills. In this article, we will tell you many more interesting facts about the life of Carl Esparza.
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Carla Esparza Biography
The UFC fighter was born Carla Kristen O’Connell on October 10, 1987, in Torrance, California, United States. Throughout her childhood, Carla was known as a dedicated and dedicated athlete. She attended high school at Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California. There she competed in basketball, running, and wrestling. Her wrestling skills set her apart from other competitors and she won a number of
Titles and awards; including a four-year wrestling scholarship at Menlo College to wrestle under coach and former two-time Olympic champion Lee Allen.
At Menlo College, Carla Esparza began her training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the Gracie Academy under Rener, Rynor, and Ralek Gracie. During the summer of her junior year there, she began training with Team Oyama and expanded her mixed martial arts repertoire. This helped her become a two-time All-American wrestling champion at the university.
Her professional debut in the MMA was the Cookie Monster in 2010 against Cassie Trost, who won in the third round by a technical knockout. In the next few matches she played against Karina Hallinan and Lacey Schuckman, which she won by a decisive submission. Six months after her debut, she was called up by Bellator MMA as a last-minute replacement for the injured Angela Magaña in the Bellator Season 3 115 lb women’s tournament at Bellator 24. Carla’s opponent was the then-unbeaten MMA fighter Megumi Fujii, who was ranked number one at the time.
Due to last-minute preparations, Esparza lost the fight in the second round by armbar submission. Later in 2011, Esparza returned to the Bellator cage to face the Season 3 challenger, Jessica Aguilar, in Bellator 46. Aguilar would defeat Esparza by split decision after a fight over three rounds.
She then made her XFC debut against Felice Herrig in the XFC 15: Tribute in Tampa, Florida, defeating Herrig by a unanimous decision. This achievement helped her become the fighter for Invicta FC and the Straw Weight Championship in a contract she signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on December 11, 2013. The Cookie Monster is known for its powerful wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
On the mat, she often mounts an opponent and controls him with punches while looking for submissions; and when she stands, she simply grabs him and attacks with punches, knees, and elbows. She was the first strawweight champion of the women’s Ultimate Fighting Championship and the first strawweight champion of Invicta FC. Her other medals include a unique performance of The Ultimate Fighter 20 Tournament Winner; 2014 Fighter of the Year.
She is in the Straightweight Division, has an MMA Pro Fighting Record which includes 13 wins, 5 defeats and 0 draws, a total of 18 fights, and is a wearer of the purple belt. She is active from 2010 until today. Since July 26, 2018, she has been ranked 6th in the official UFC strawweight ranking.
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Family
Since she is a popular figure in the fighting industry and a celebrity herself, many questions were asked about her family background, personal history, and sexual orientation. Although we have no exact information about who her parents are and how many siblings she has, we know for sure that she is not married, has never been married, has no husband, and has no child of her own.
Unlike most athletes who use social media to show their family, spouse, and children, Carla Esparza looks like a lady who prefers to keep her personal affairs to herself. As far as we can tell, she hasn’t said a word about her sexual preferences, doesn’t look like a lesbian and hasn’t gotten involved in any sexual controversy. She is very ambitious in her professional career and has the goal to become the highest-ranked player in MMA.
Carla Esparza Height, Weight, Body Measurements
A very athletic person with such a good figure. The Cookie Monster stands at 5 feet 1 inch, which is 165 cm tall. Her weight is 52 kg (115 lbs). Her other body measurements are currently not available.
