Generally speaking, getting punched in the face by a UFC fighter is something most people try to avoid doing. Even UFC fighters do their best to avoid being punched by other UFC fighters. That’s how you avoid getting knocked out.
Apparently, however, there are people out there who find the idea of getting punched by a UFC fighter fun. One of these people recently asked former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza to punch him in the face. After this glutton for punishment signed a waiver, the former champ agreed. First, she hit him with a punch to the body. Then, a jarring punch to the face. Granted, these punches were dialled back to a “2 out of 10” on the power scale, but they still looked pretty uncomfortable. See the whole ordeal in the video at the top of this post. This video was shared to Esparza’s official Twitter account.
“He signed the waiver,” Esparza said along with the video. “He said hit him a ‘2 out of 10’ and I obliged.”
Esparza became the UFC’s first-ever women’s strawweight champion with a third-round submission of Rose Namajunas. In her next fight, she surrendered the title, wilting under a bombardment of second-round Joanna Jedrzejczyk punches. Since she lost the title, Esparza has gone 1-1 first defeating Julianna Lima by decision in April of 2016, then giving up a controversial split decision to Randa Markos on the undercard of the UFC’s February trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The former champ, who has also competed under the Bellator MMA and Invicta Fighting Championship banners, is currently 11-4 in sum. She does not currently have a fight booked – though it looks like she’s keeping her hands sharp.
Who do you want to see Carla Esparza fight in her return to the Octagon? Would you let the former strawweight queen punch you in the face? Sound off, PENN Nation!
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/22/2017.
In the co-main event of UFC 281, the strawweight title is on the line as Carla Esparza looks to defend her belt for the first time as she takes on Zhang Weili. Heading into the fight, Esparza is a +285 underdog while the challenger is a massive -400 favorite on FanDuel.
