Former UFC women’s 115-pound champion Carla Esparza spoke to MMA fighting ahead of her scheduled bout at UFC on ESPN 14. ‘The Cookie Monster’ is set to face off against Marina Rodriguez on the main card section of the event. The bout is part of the final event taking place at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi.

Esparza touched upon several topics throughout her conversations with the media ahead of her fight. Not to mention, she expressed her views on the popular issue of fighter pay and had a unique perspective. Moreover, fighter pay and contracts had recently become a huge point of contention amongst several high-profile names such as Jorge Masvidal and Jon Jones.

Carla Esparza chimes in

‘The Ultimate Fighter’ winner explained that the promotion should be lauded for providing fighters with stable incomes during the pandemic. She also said that she understood the position of fighters who were looking for a bigger slice of the pie.

“All power to those who want what they feel they deserve. I completely understand people’s want for more money, but coming from a time where fighters made only a couple hundred dollars, and currently living in a time where a majority of people are out of work and losing their businesses, I am just grateful to be with the UFC, able to fight and earn a paycheck at all.”

Everyone unanimously agrees that the organization has made the impossible possible. Several other major sporting leagues have not been able to return to action quite like the UFC.

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“The UFC has bent over backwards and defied all odds to be the only sports organization to be running events. So maybe now when everyone is struggling is not the time to be asking for more, more, more, and maybe just the time to be grateful.”

‘The Cookie Monster’ has managed to bounce back from an earlier skid and looks to once again reclaim UFC gold. A win over a game opponent like Rodriguez would serve as a good addition to her heavily stacked resume. Not to mention, Rodriguez has been an undefeated prospect through her 14 fight career.

Source: MMA Fighting