Former champion confirms plan to retire after fighting at UFC 307 in October… 'I don't want to get pushed out'
01/09/2024 15:22
UFC 307 in October will be yet another fabulous night of Mixed Martial Arts action, yet the PPV event will also have a tinge of sadness to it as one of the most legendary female athletes in the history of the sport hangs up the gloves for good.
Whilst MMA fans have known for some time that the iconic 'Cookie Monster' would be walking away from the sport, former Strawweight champion Carla Esparza has now explained why UFC 307 will sadly be the last time we see her in the octagon.
Carla Esparza confirms she'll retire after fighting at UFC 307 in October
Former UFC champion Carla 'Cookie Monster' Esparza returns to action for the final time on October 5 when she takes on Tecia Pennington; with the iconic female MMA fighter having previously announced that UFC 307 will indeed be her retirement fight.
"After almost 15 years as a professional, fighting the best of the best, I feel it's time to hang up my gloves,” she wrote on Instagram after that bout was first announced, adding: "I wanted to give my ‘Cookie Monster’ fans, who have never been there to watch me live, one final opportunity.”
Whilst that message was met with a wave of support from the global MMA community, many were questioning why Esparza has specially chosen UFC 307 as her retirement fight – a decision that the 'Cookie Monster' has now addressed.
Carla Esparza explains why UFC 307 is the perfect time to walk away from MMA
Speaking to MMAFighting earlier this week, Carla Esparza explained that she's opting to walk away from the sport at UFC 307 on her own terms, so as to not get pushed out of the promotion later down the line.
"This decision took a lot of thought – I always said that when this sport stopped being fun for me and I lost my passion, that would be the time to hang it up. But that hasn't happened.
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"I still go to training like hungry to learn. I'm still so passionate about learning and growing in this sport and evolving. It wasn't that for me. It's so many things."
Esparza explained how she wishes that her body was more in tune with her mind, adding that "priorities have just changed a little bit" after she and her husband welcomed their first child last year.
"I'm really enjoying just being home with my son, I feel very fortunate to be able to be here for all the little moments and appreciate them. For me, it's been a cycle of fight, rest, get back to training — it's kind of been like a cycle, but a little bit different with pregnancy and everything."
Yet given how much experience Esparza has in the cutthroat world of MMA; she knows better than most that fighters typically don't know when to walk away and that decision ultimately comes back to haunt many icons.
"We've seen it time and time again, the sport kind of forces you out. You have devastating loss after devastating loss, and honestly, I've seen a lot of my heroes fighting over the years and it's hard to watch that. I never wanted to be that to my fans.
"I don't want to get pushed out; this is a natural progression. Nobody can stay on top forever, but it is nice to go out on my own terms and not be forced out by injury after injury or just a bad performance. I didn't want to go out like that. I wanted to go out still as seen as one of the top fighters."
If you happen to attend UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah, make sure you absolutely and unequivocally raise the roof for Carla Esparza; one of the best female fighters in the history of the sport, and a role model for young women around the world.
