Carla Esparza hopes for future UFC Hall of Fame induction before fighting retirement: 'That would be so cool'

Ahead of her final fight, former UFC women's strawweight champion Carla Esparza reflects on her legacy.

“Cookie Monster” has not been seen in the cage since her title defense against Weili Zhang in November 2022. Just months after defeating Rose Namajunas and regaining UFC gold, Carla Esparza faced “Magnum.” Ultimately, it only took two rounds for the Chinese fighter to secure a stoppage victory and secure the title.

Since then, Carla Esparza hasn't focused as much on her fighting career. A few months after losing to Zhang, she announced that she was pregnant. Last September, Esparza gave birth to her first child, a son. Although having a child is exciting for the former world champion, she still had to make a difficult decision.

Carla Esparza faces Tecia Pennington at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City on Saturday night. Before returning, “Cookie Monster” stated that the fight would be her last. “The Tiny Tornado,” for her part, enters this contest on a two-fight losing streak, most recently losing a decision to Tabatha Ricci in May.

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Carla Esparza hopes to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame before her final fight

In a recent interview with Brian Campbell, Carla Esparza talked about her career. There, the former UFC women's strawweight champion admitted she was hoping for a future Hall of Fame induction. As a former two-time defending champion, it's hard to argue that Esparza's resume doesn't deserve some shine.

“I would like to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at some point. I mean, that would be so cool,” Carla Esparza said. “I think winning the title the first time was like seeing where I was as a fighter then and where I am now; There was so much growth.” (h/t MMA News)

She continued: “I mean, you have to grow to stay in this department with all these murderers. Everyone is so good and there is always new blood flowing through the UFC. You have to be at such a high level to be able to keep up with these people. So it’s cool that you were able to stay at this high level and compete with all these young players.”

What do you think of these comments from Carla Esparza? Do you think she deserves to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame?