The first even women’s strawweight champion in UFC history, Carla Esparza, has apparently fallen on some hard times as she is selling the motorcycle she won after winning the UFC Ultimate Fighter 20.
Esparza also posted the following on her Instagram account:
While Esparza acknowledges that a shoulder injury that required surgery after UFC 185 was one of the main reasons she is strapped financially, she also claims the lack of fights offered by the UFC has to do with it as well.
"It's very unfortunate that I am selling this bike not because I want to, but because I HAVE to in order to make ends meet," Esparza wrote. "After having a year off from shoulder surgery, taking a short notice fight, and then 8 months since that fight, I literally have enough in my bank account to pay for 2 more months of bills,” Esparza wrote on her Instagram.
Esparza is somebody who wants to fight as well, something she also spoke about on her above Instagram post.
"I'm 100% down for that fight (with Claudia Gadelha)," Esparza wrote. "I just asked for just one non-title contention fight with an actual camp after having so much time off from injury and the result is being benched for 8 months and still no word of a fight, not even a whisper. I'm at a loss of what to do. When I make my run, my intention is to WIN not because I'm being forced to when I'm not ready."
Esparza (11-3-0) hasn’t competed since defeating Juliana Lima at UFC 197, besides being a former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion, she is also a former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion.
After hearing about Esparza's situation, Bellator MMA headliner and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz offered her some assistance:
Whenever you think Tito's an asshole just read this pic.twitter.com/xSJb2EJY1b
— Zombie Prophet (@ZPGIFs) December 3, 2016