Ultimate Fighting Championship

Former champ Carla Esparza back on track with win over Maryna Moroz

Published Jun. 25, 2017 8:44 p.m. ET

Damon Martin

Former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza bounced back from a heartbreaking loss in her last fight to earn a unanimous decision win over Maryna Moroz in a battle between top-10 fighters.

Esparza fell to longtime rival Randa Markos in a very closely contested fight in her last trip to the Octagon so obviously she needed to get back into the win column as she looked to re-establish herself in the division.

While Esparza gave up considerable reach and height to Moroz, she did a good job to close the distance and then swoop under for repeated takedowns through every round.

Moroz did her best to play defense, but Esparza was tenacious with her takedown attempts as she blasted through her opponent before putting the fight on the mat again and again.

https://twitter.com/UFCONFOX/status/879128724125360128

From there, Esparza was in complete control as she worked her ground game while Moroz could only hold on while hoping for the referee to stand them back up again.

By the end of the third round, Esparza was taking Moroz down at will before pushing her against the cage where she unleashed some of her hardest shots all night before the final horn sounded.

In the end, Esparza earned the decision with scores reading 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 all in her favor.

With the win on Sunday night over a top 10 opponent, Esparza has now earned victories in two out of her last three bouts as she looks to climb back into title contention in the near future.

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