Carla Esparza won the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight championship at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale.
Esparza defeated Rose Namajunas by third-round submission on December 12, 2014, in Las Vegas. The title fight was the tournament final for The Ultimate Fighter 20, whose competitors formed the UFC’s first women’s 115-pound division.
Esparza used her wrestling and top control to secure a rear-naked choke. Her reign was brief: she lost the championship to Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 185 in March 2015. Jędrzejczyk then held the belt through several defenses before eventually losing it to Rose Namajunas.
The inaugural title is sometimes confused with the first UFC women’s strawweight fight, but those are different milestones. Esparza’s victory specifically made her the division’s first UFC champion.