Carla Esparza Says She’s Focused On UFC 219 And Not A Possible Rematch With Rose Namajunas

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Carla Esparza said she’s focused on fighting Cynthia Calvillo at UFC 219 and isn’t currently thinking about a possible rematch with Rose Namajunas. Here are highlights:

On Rose Namajunas’ title win: “I couldn’t help but really think about it when Rose won the belt. Everyone was messaging me about it. Personally I think she’s grown a lot since we initially fought. I think I’ve grown a lot since we fought. I’m just happy for her now and what she has now.”

On her fight with Cynthia Calvillo: “I think Cynthia has a really good grappling game. She’s really fast on the ground, has really good transitions in the scrambles. I think her fighting isn’t super standard. I don’t think she has the most experience striking, but I think she has a different style. Very off-the-line, moves a lot. I think that might pose a little bit of a challenge.”

On focusing on the fight she has now: “Every fight is a step towards being the best. Wherever that puts me, it puts me. I definitely think people have been talking about, ‘Title this, title that.’ For me it’s just about focusing on what’s in front of me.”