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Carla Esparza will replace Rose Namajunas in the Fury Pro Grappling 3 main event against Danielle Kelly this Thursday.
The rising Brazilian jiu-jitsu star and the UFC women's strawweight champion were scheduled to face off in the December 30 main event. However, Namajunas was removed from the card pertaining to COVID-19 protocol.
Danielle Kelly, 26, is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner who received her black belt in 2020. Kelly is currently training under coach Karel Pravac at Silver Fox Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
The former North American Grappling Association champion holds a string of high-level submission victories under her belt. They include wins against UFC fighters Cynthia Cavillo and Roxanne Modafferi.
Carla Esparza, meanwhile, is on a five-fight winning streak in the UFC, most recently defeating Yan Xiaonan in May this year. She is currently ranked No.3 in the strawweight division and No.9 in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Carla Esparza responds to Dana White's title shot confirmation
Earlier this year, Carla Esparza turned down the opportunity to fight Mackenzie Dern. Instead, the first-ever 115-pound champion chose to wait for a chance at divisional gold. UFC president Dana White was initially hesitant about granting her a title shot.
However, Rose Namajunas' desire to run it back with her TUF 20 opponent appears to have persuaded White to set it up after all.
Esparza recently responded on Twitter to Dana White's comments, which seemingly confirmed her championship opportunity. The 34-year-old, who is currently on a five-fight winning streak, shared a screenshot of White's update on the UFC women's strawweight division, with the caption:
"It's going down."
Carla Esparza is currently on a roll, having won five straight matches against Michelle Waterson, Marina Rodriguez, Alexa Grasso, Virna Jandiroba and Yan Xiaonan.
Her most recent defeat came in 2018, when she was knocked out in the third round by Tatiana Suarez at UFC 228.
