Carla Esparza, a former two-time UFC strawweight champion faced a tricky situation this year due to her extended absence from active competition. Following the birth of her son, Donovan, she took a well-deserved break to focus on motherhood and recovery. As a result of her inactivity, the UFC decided to remove her from the official strawweight rankings.

Her removal has raised a lot of questions in the minds of the fans. While she did announce that she has not yet retired from the sport, there are still some doubts surrounding the entire event. So, without any further adieu, let us find out what exactly happened.

What happened with Carla Esparza? Why did the UFC remove her from the rankings? 

For most professional fighters, losing a spot in the rankings is never a new thing. However, Carla Esparza and her removal from rankings came as a shock to many, including the former champion. The fighter who goes by the nickname ‘Cookie Monster’ was last seen in action in 2022 at UFC 281, where she took on Zhang Weili. Esparza lost the fight via submission in the second round, thus losing her title to the Chinese juggernaut. In the subsequent months, the 36-year-old former TUF winner announced her pregnancy news and welcomed her son.

However, what followed ahead was utter chaos after MMA journalist John Morgan shared the news of her being removed from the rankings. She tweeted, “Ahead of #UFC297, the official rankings panel has been notified that Carla Esparza will not be a part of the next updated list. “Please note that Carla Esparza has been removed from rankings eligibility in the women’s strawweight division due to inactivity.” 

The former champion’s exclusion from the list because of inactivity perplexed the fans because of various instances in the past. For example, fighters like Colby Covington challenged welterweight champion Leon Edwards upon his return after staying out of action for nearly two years.

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Esparza, apart from her inactivity in 2021 because of obvious reasons has generally been an active fighter and averages two bouts per year. She began her MMA career in 2010 and will now be featuring next at UFC 307 against Tecia Pennington. Unfortunately, this will be the last time we will see the former champion in the Octagon. Retirements in MMA are fickle, to put it generously, but Esparza is confident that she is indeed done for good this time around.

Is Carla Esparza retiring now? Real reason revealed

Esparza is finally making a return to the Octagon to deliver a performance worth remembering. While the UFC veteran no longer seeks championship gold, her passion for fighting remains undiminished. Her recent transition has been on motherhood, as her son Donovan celebrated his first birthday. Esparza always harbored a desire to return to the octagon after becoming a mother, but the exact timeframe remained uncertain until recently.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, she said, “Ideally, I wanted to have one or two more fights, and just seeing how everything has shaken out since becoming a mom, for me, one more fight seemed to make the most sense.” The former champion has been a servant of the sport for more than 15 years and has given some memorable moments inside the Octagon. In her last appearance at UFC 307, Esparza will look to win for her newborn son and end her career on a winning note.

“I still love it, but it’s time. It’s time for me to be a mom, and just for my body. It has had a lot of wear and tear over the years. I’m ready. I don’t want to leave this sport in a wheelchair or a walker.” added the 36-year-old during her latest interview. How highly do you rate Carla Esparza as a fighter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.