Esparza: Being champion finally not a dream
Carla Esparza: “It was an amazing feeling. It felt like a dream. It didn’t feel real. It didn’t feel real until, honestly, probably [last Sunday] for me.”
At the Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale, Carla Esparza defeated Rose Namajunas to win the sixteen women tournament and claim the first ever women’s strawweight title. For Esparza, the moment was surreal and only days after the bout, did it actually become real to her:
Whatever comes her way, Esparza says she’s ready. This last year steeled her and helped her prove what she already felt to be true. There’s no telling how long she’ll have to enjoy that feeling, but she’s savoring it while it lasts.
“It was an amazing feeling. It felt like a dream. It didn’t feel real. It didn’t feel real until, honestly, probably [last Sunday] for me. Even my instructor, Giva Santana, texted me yesterday. He said, ‘I go to sleep, you’re the champion and I wake up and you’re the champion. I’m finally starting to realize it’s not a dream’. That’s kind of how I feel, too.”