- Carla Esparza (born October 10, 1987; 37 years) is the current UFC Strawweight champion with an MMA record of 19-6-0
- She got married to Matthew Lomeli shortly after she won a fight in May 2022
- Carla Esparza currently has an estimated net worth of $500,000
UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza is the current UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion. The American professional mixed martial artist began wrestling at Redondo Union High School before she later extended to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training at Gracie Academy. With an MMA record of 19 wins and 6 losses, Esparza stands at 5 feet 1 inch tall and has a net worth of not less than $500,000 at the moment.
The 37-year-old strawweight fighter married her heartthrob Matthew Lomeli, shortly after she won her title belt in May 2022.
Carla Esparza’s Biography
Carla Esparza was born on October 10, 1987, in Torrance, California and she is currently 37 years old. The Cookie Monster, as she is also called is originally from Redondo Beach.
She attended Redondo Union High School where she competed in basketball, running, and also wrestling. After high school, she earned a scholarship to study at Menlo College in northern California.
Known for winning several local and national tournaments, Esparza was named a women’s wrestling All-American in 2008 and 2009 while with the Menlo Oaks.
She also started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the Gracie Academy in Torrance while she was still in college. During her junior year in college, she expanded her mixed martial arts training.
Carla Esparza’s MMA Career
According to reports, the strawweight champion made her professional MMA debut in 2010 in a fight against Cassi Trost. Barely six months after her debut, she lost a fight to the No.1 pound-for-pound female MMA fighter Megumi Fujii.
She later competed in Xtreme Fighting Championships where she matched up with Felice Herrig. They fought during XFC 15: Tribute (2011), and Esparza used wrestling to win by unanimous decision.
In 2012, she signed with Invicta Fighting Championships and fought a couple of people including Lynn Alvarez and Sarah Schneider.
That same year, she became the UFC’s first strawweight champion. Carla Esparza was later set to defend her strawweight title against Claudia Gadelha but the fight was later canceled. Also, she later forfeited the title to compete in the Ultimate Fighter.
Upon winning the Ultimate Fighter, she went on to defeat Rose Namajunas to become the inaugural UFC Strawweight champion as well as a Performance of the Night bonus.
On March 14, 2015, she was to face kickboxer Joanna Jedrzejczyk for her first title defense which she sadly lost.
Subsequently, Carla had a new four-fight deal with the UFC and was expected to face Marina Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night on July 15, 2020. After winning by split decision, she was supposed to face Amanda Ribas on December 12, 2020, but she was pulled out due to undisclosed reasons.
Upon her return, it was made known that Carla Esparza would be facing Yan Xiaonan on May 22, 2021. She won the fight and also earned the Performance of Night Award.
After setting a record for the longest-time UFC title reigns by any fighter, Esparza has been scheduled to face Zhang Weili on November 12, 2022, at UFC 281. Initially, Esparza was guaranteed a purse of $350,000 but her earnings improved to $750k based on pay-per-view sales. Regardless of what happens, her opponent will receive a guaranteed purse of $210,000 from the fight.
The MMA Fighter Has Been Married to Matthew Lomeli Since May 2022
Carla Esparza married Matthew Charles Lomeli, a practicing physician on 14 May 2022. Apparently, the couple met on the Coffee Meets Bagel dating app in 2020.
Lomeli revealed when he was matched with Carla, he did not know her professionally as she had hidden it in her profile. She reportedly listed herself as a professional athlete. The fighter later revealed her reasons for hiding that she is a professional fighter. Carla believed it would only steer people away from her.
The pair dated for two years before Lomeli proposed. During the same period they were supposed to be married, Carla got the rare opportunity to fight for the UFC strawweight title, a fight she could not turn down.
After the wedding, Carla and her beau went to Bora-Bora for their honeymoon.
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What is Carla Esparza’s Net Worth?
Presently, it is speculated that Carla Esparza’s net worth is around $500,000. Her salary is estimated to be about $50,000 and the championship titles she has won over the years have also added to her wealth.
mmafighters.net reported that The Cookie Monster earned $50,000 from the fight she won against Bec Hyatt in 2014.
Besides her salary, the MMA fighter might have other endorsements and sponsorships as well.
