No one knows the uneasiness associated with a title reign any better than Carla Esparza.
The two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight boss will defend her undisputed crown when she meets former titleholder Weili Zhang in the UFC 281 co-headliner on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Esparza has rattled off six straight victories, re-establishing herself as the woman to beat atop a cutthroat division. She reclaimed the strawweight championship on May 7, when she eked out a split decision over Rose Namajunas in their five-round clash at UFC 274.