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Strawweight champion Carla Esparza believes Marina Rodriguez should be next in line for a title shot instead of Zhang Weili.
'Cookie Monster' recently sat down for an interview with 'MMA Fighting'. She discussed various things like her next fight and her thoughts on the rematch with Rose Namajunas.
Speaking about her next potential opponent, Esparza said that she would fight anyone that the UFC puts in front of her. 'Cookie Monster' added that according to her, Rodriguez was more deserving of a title fight than Weili.
"I think that Marina has, you know, won five straight. I think she's beaten top-level competition. I mean, she's staying active and for me, you know, she's proven herself. She deserves a title shot."
She added:
"But for whatever reason, I'm sure there's a lot that goes into it, Weili's getting the shot... For me, I fight whoever's put in front of me but doesn't necessarily mean I think it's fair or was the right call, you know, as far as the athlete goes."
You can watch the full interview below:
Rodriguez is currently riding a four-fight win streak in the UFC. One interesting thing to note is that the Brazilian's only loss of her MMA career came against Esparza.
The two faced off in July 2020 when 'Cookie Monster' edged out a split decision victory.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk shares her prediction for Carla Esparza vs. Zhang Weili
At the UFC 275 post-fight press conference, former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk made her pick for a possible matchup between Carla Esparza and Zhang Weili.
According to the Pole, Weili will finish Esparza inside the first round to win the title.
"First round for Weili Zhang, you know?! She's so strong. Yeah, first round. She really surprised me with her strength, you know, the ground. Because we know she's a striker but she was very strong on the ground. Very beautiful work. Very beautiful work."
She added:
"So it's going to be an interesting fight but I truly believe that Weili is going to be becoming the champ. And I feel like Rose [Namajunas] is next in line again. So, it's the beauty of the sport."
Jedrzejczyk and 'Magnum' fought in a rematch at UFC 275 that ended on an unfortunate note for the 34-year-old. Weili landed a spinning backfist in the second round, knocking Jedrzejczyk out cold. The Pole then announced her retirement from MMA in her post-fight interview.
