Carla Esparza not surprised by Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s retirement, says she “would’ve loved” a rematch

UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza has admitted she would’ve liked the chance to have a rematch against Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

While the way in which Carla Esparza became a two-time UFC champion was somewhat strange, there was nothing odd about how she submitted Rose Namajunas in 2014 to win the gold the first time around. Alas, her joy didn’t last long as just three months later, she was beaten by Joanna Jedrzejczyk as the Polish sensation went on to become one of the all-time greats in the division.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Esparza noted that she wasn’t surprised by Joanna’s decision to retire from mixed martial arts following her defeat to Weili Zhang – although she would’ve liked the chance to run it back with her.

“I don’t think I was really that surprised,” Esparza said. “If someone’s gonna sit out for two years and be on somewhat of a losing streak, although she has fought the highest competition, I think for her, just judging on what I always heard her say, she wants to be the best, she wants to be a champion. With losing that fight, I think it was gonna be a far road back, and I can see why she walked away from it.”

“There’s always a disappointment. But I mean, doing it this long, so many people that I’ve fought have stepped away from the sport. It just kind of comes with being in the sport this many years,” Esparza said. “I’ve kind of accepted you’re not always gonna get that rematch chance. … I would’ve loved to have had that opportunity, because I feel that I’ve grown so much as a fighter. But I’m happy for her and for her journey from here on out.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Would you have wanted to see Carla Esparza vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk 2?