5. Carla Esparza
It is almost impossible to be a breakthrough fighter with only one official bout on your record for the year, but the inaugural champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s newest and lightest weight class made a significant splash in 2014 nonetheless.
From the start of “The Ultimate Fighter 20,” former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Carla Esparza was pegged as the season’s frontrunner. This was not the average iteration of “The Ultimate Fighter,” where the winner would be inserted into the lower end of a UFC division to potentially work his or her way up to stardom. No, this season’s winner would become an actual UFC titlist, the company’s first strawweight ace and only its second female champ.
Esparza justified the hype that came with her No. 1 seeding by taking out Angela Hill, Tecia Torres and Jessica Penne during her run on the reality show, albeit in exhibition bouts which do not appear on her professional record. When it came to the title bout at the “The Ultimate Fighter 20” Finale, much of the pre-fight hype focused on her opponent, Rose Namajunas. However, in the fight itself, Esparza demonstrated her toughness and experience -- the 27-year-old has faced the likes of Megumi Fujii and Jessica Aguilar in her young career -- and ground out Namajunas en route to a third-round rear-naked choke submission.
Considering the recent impact of the UFC’s first female champion on the sport and pop culture, Esparza could well be on her way to stardom. One thing is certain: After 2014, MMA fans know her name.
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