As conservative as it might have been, Carla Esparza stuck to her game plan at UFC 274 — and the end result was a championship victory.
Esparza emerged from an action-starved bout with a split-decision triumph over “Thug” Rose to claim strawweight gold at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday night. It was a perplexing performance from both athletes, as neither was willing to engage for the majority of the contest, which predictably brought out the boo birds throughout the 25-minute affair. For Esparza, pressing the action too recklessly would have only set her up for defeat.