Carla Esparza Discusses Her Relief in Winning at UFC 197

Speaking to reporters in a media scrum after UFC 197 (via MMAjunkie), former UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza discussed her win over Juliana Lima at UFC 197. Esparza beat Lima by unanimous decision during the FS1 prelims. Below are some highlights.

Esparza on not doing a lot of media before the fight: “Honestly, I didn’t do a lot of media before this fight. You know, it’s kind of hard when all you have to think about from the past is to regurgitate your loss. I just kind of wanted to stay focused on the task at hand. I took this fight semi-last minute, and I kind of wanted it that way too. Even though I wasn’t in the best shape I wanted to be, I just kind of wanted to avoid the stress of a long camp.”

Esparza on being relieved to get the win: “It’s a huge relief off my shoulders to go out there and get my hand raised.”