Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington – Fight Preview & Analysis

UFC Fight Night: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 5, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. In this matchup on the fight card, Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza will take on Tecia “Tiny Tornado” Rakic in the Women’s Strawweight bout. You can view the complete UFC Fight Night card.

Esparza brings a unique orthodox fighting stance with an 63″ reach. In contrast, Rakic, an orthodox fighter, stands with a 60″ reach. These variations in their styles can have a significant impact inside the Octagon.

With a 40% striking accuracy, Esparza has shown his precision in landing significant strikes, averaging around 2.16 per minute. On the other hand, Rakic boasts a 47% striking accuracy, landing approximately 4.78 significant strikes per minute.

In this post, we will break down Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington matchup. Let’s take a look at the fighter’s ages, their height, records, reach, fight stats, and more below ⤵

The 37-year-old, Carla Esparza is coming in with a 20-7-0 record. Esparza will be fighting for the first time since a loss via submission against Zhang Weili at UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira in November.

Rakic, meanwhile, is coming off a split decision loss against Carla Esparza on November 12, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Nascimento and holds a 13-7-0 record.

Carla Esparza has a orthodox fighting stance with an 63″ reach. The 35-year-old Tecia Pennington is an orthodox fighter with a 60″ reach. An orthodox fighter stands with their left side forward and jabs with their left hand. The southpaw fighter is the opposite. Southpaw stands with their right side forward and jabs with their right hand. In most cases, orthodox fighters are right-handed; if you are left-handed, you fight southpaw.

Carla Esparza stats

→ Esparza’s striking accuracy is 40%.
→ Esparza lands 2.16 significant strikes per minute.
→ Esparza’s takedown accuracy is 35%.
→ Esparza’s takedown average is 3.22 per 15 minutes.
→ Esparza’s takedown defense is 47%.

Esparza comes in with 40% striking accuracy, typically landing about 2.16 significant strikes every minute. Conversely, Rakic fires at 47% accuracy, landing about 4.78 significant strikes per minute. Carla Esparza also has a 35% takedown accuracy and, on average, gets around 3.22 takedowns every 15 minutes, compared to Rakic’s 0.61 takedowns and 65% takedown accuracy.

Tecia Pennington stats

→ Rakic’s striking accuracy is 47%.
→ Rakic lands 4.78 significant strikes per minute.
→ Rakic’s takedown accuracy is 14%.
→ Rakic’s takedown average is 0.61 per 15 minutes.
→ Rakic’s takedown defense is 65%.

Tecia spent, on average, 13:48 minutes in the Octagon, and Carla has an average fight time of 13:57 minutes.

Considering their records, fighting styles, and recent performances, this matchup looks to be an entertaining clash of skills and strategies. Who will come out victorious, Carla or Tecia? Sound off in the comments.

You can view the scheduled UFC Fight Night fight card, upcoming UFC schedule 2024, and latest MMA news.