UFC strawweight champion and challenger respond to Fedor's criticism of women's MMA

Esparza has a record of 10 wins and two losses in MMA. Photo: Disclosure/UFC

Earlier this week, legendary former Russian wrestler Fedor Emelianenko, former PRIDE champion and widely considered one of the greatest in MMA history, criticized fights between women, which generated controversy. The situation provoked the response of Carla esparza and Joanna Jedrzeckzyk, who, next Saturday (14), will fight for the UFC women's straw division title.

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Both fighters showed respect to Emelianenko, but vehemently disagreed with his opinion. Inaugural champion of the category, Esparza used as an example the success of UFC 184, an event held last month and which was headlined by two fights between women: Ronda Rousey x Zingano cat e Holly holm x Rachel Pennington. “The facts speak for themselves. He's one of the greats. I have nothing against him, but we have a different opinion. I think Ronda and the huge crowd she brought to Los Angeles [during UFC 184] is living proof. I think MMA is basically the biggest women's sport out there right now. We are being placed on the same level as men, and Ronda is being highlighted more than all of them. This shows that we women are at the top”, said the champion.

Jedrzeckzyk, who will try to win the title, also defended the work that has been done by women in recent years. “I like him a lot, he’s a living legend. But I think we can do a very good job. I don't think this is correct. We can fight well, we can attract the audience and we can improve the show. That’s it,” she stated.

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