UFC Vegas 39 saw Marina Rodriguez continue her ascent of the strawweight rankings with a decision win over Mackenzie Dern in the main event contest. That victory created questions that concern not only Rodriguez and Dern, but also former 115-pound champion Carla Esparza and the upcoming UFC 268 matchup between current champion Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili.
Below, I consider the questions coming from that fight and several others that arose during UFC Vegas 39, which took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streamed on ESPN+.
Is Carla Esparza next?
Carla Esparza, she of the five-fight winning streak, thought the UFC should have booked her to face UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas at UFC 268.