Tecia Pennington stunned by scoring, fan response to win over Carla Esparza at UFC 307

SALT LAKE CITY – Tecia Pennington beat Carla Esparza with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Take a look inside the fight with Pennington, who sent Esparza into retirement with a loss.

Tecia Pennington def. Carla Esparza

Tecia Pennington

Result: Tecia Pennington def. Carla Esparza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Updated records: Pennington (14-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC), Esparza (20-8 MMA, 10-6 UFC)
Key stats: Esparza won the overall striking line 116-94, but Pennington’s totals in the significant strikes category doubled up on Esparza at 80-39.

Pennington on the fight’s key moment

Oct 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Carla Esparza (red gloves) fights Tecia Pennington (blue gloves) during UFC 307 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

“I wish I would have struck a little bit more, but I had to listen to my coaches to get the win. I stood back a little bit because I think if I would have gone in more with my punches, she could have gotten a takedown and then held me down and got her win. Wrestling – obviously it’s an MMA fight, but I want to strike with you. The few times she did exchange with me, I was like, ‘Man, let’s go.’ But she’s not into doing that, so I did what I needed to do to win.”

Pennington on the decision

Oct 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Carla Esparza (red gloves) and Tecia Pennington (blue gloves) react after their fight during UFC 307 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

“Honestly, I was confident until when they said 30-27. That’s when I got worried because I saw it 29-28 – I’m just being honest. I saw her winning the first and me winning the last two, so I thought I had it confident again. But when they said (30-27), I’m like mother … did they do this to me again? But then they called my name and I was happy.”

Pennington on what she wants next

Oct 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Tecia Pennington prepares to fight Carla Esparza (not pictured) during UFC 307 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

“I think I should be No. 9 or 10. I’ve been in this for a long time. I think I deserve to be in the top 10 fighting a top-10 opponent my next fight. I’d love to fight another striker. That’d be awesome, so then we could just bang in there. I’m down to do that. But I truly believe I’m one of the top 10 girls in the world right now. I’ve fought everybody, so it probably would be a rematch. I don’t care (I want to fight) someone who’s going to get me closer to the title. That’s my ultimate goal. I have a few more years at that and I think I can make it there.”

To hear more from Pennington, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

UFC 307 images

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.