The lone women’s strawweight on UFC 219 saw rising star Cynthia Calvillo take on former champion Carla Esparza. Calvillo was a considerable favorite to extend her record to 7-0, but Esparza had other ideas, using her striking in the final two rounds to get the unanimous nod.
The two ladies started the fight aggressively with their striking, and it was Calvillo who surprisingly had the first takedown of the contest. Not much was happening for well over a minute, but Calvillo was threatening to pass to side control, only or Esparza to get back to guard and then throw up an armbar attempt.