Who won Rose Namajunas vs Esparza 1?

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Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas battled for the UFC strawweight championship, and it was the former Invicta FC champion who claimed the first-ever UFC 115-pound strap.

Esparza was the No. 1 seed on The Ultimate Fighter. She defeated Angela Hill, Tecia Torres and Jessica Penne to make the finale. Rose Namajunas was the No. 7 seed and beat Alex Chambers, Joanne Calderwood and Randa Markos to earn the championship fight.

The fight was all Esparza. She got the rear-naked choke in the third round and claimed the gold.

So, what did we learn and what's next for these two extraordinary fighters? Read on to find out.

What We'll Remember About This Fight

Esparza's dominant wrestling is what we will remember. It broke Namajunas' will.

We have seen that time and again in MMA. The grind of the wrestling can break fighters, and that's what it did Friday night. Esparza's wrestling was successful every time she tried it. Namajunas didn't have a good-enough sprawl to stop it.

It is a big difference between the two. Fighters who struggle with wrestling will always struggle in MMA.

What We Learned About Rose Namajunas

Many fans and pundits alike were pushing Namajunas as the next female MMA star. There were comparisons to Ronda Rousey. That was nonsense, and it was no fault of Namajunas. We learned what she is...a 22-year-old prospect.

She has a very high ceiling. She has quality submissions and flashy strikes, but she shows holes in every facet of her game. She can be dynamic, but that doesn't matter until you become technically efficient with your skills. This was clearly evident in this matchup, as Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting pointed out:

Marc Raimondi @marc_raimondi

Wow. Incredibly impressive. Namajunas is 22 years old and crazy talented. But Esparza is just better right now. By a significant amount.

In the second round you could see the desperation in her eyes. She began reaching with her stirkes and giving up the takedowns way too easily. She realized she was out of her depth. This will turn out to be a great learning experience for her, and she will return even better.

She has a bright future in this sport, but the hype entering the night was unnecessary.

What We Learned About Carla Esparza

A lot of focus will be on her wrestling and defensive abilities, but we learned her striking has improved measurably.

She tagged Namajunas a lot in this fight. She was at a height and reach disadvantage to a striker who has better skills. She was still the more successful striker in this fight. Why? She stayed technical. Namajunas wasted energy on low-percentage strikes, and Esparza just kept it simple.

She also generated more power. With improved hands she can begin to cement her spot as the No. 1-ranked strawweight in the world.

What's Next for Rose Namajunas

The UFC has to be careful. It doesn't want to put her in with another top-tier fighter just yet, have a dogfight back-and-forth battle that damages her and have her lose that fight. That would be terrible promoting and matchmaking. The UFC needs to realize her age and abilities. It needs to treat her like the prospect she is.

The UFC has several fighters on the roster now that are outmatched. Glorified atomweight Lisa Ellis stands out. Ellis did fairly well against Felice Herrig, but she came out on the losing end. It is a fight that Namajunas could control on the feet and on the ground. She also would have a significant size advantage.

It's a great rebuilding fight. That is the type of fight that Namajunas needs to have next.

What's Next for Carla Esparza

The winner of Claudia Gadelha vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Those two meet on Saturday night at UFC on Fox 13. Gadelha is favored in the fight. Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting noted this fight will determine "Esparza's No. 1 contender":

Dave Doyle @davedoylemma

Meanwhile, Claudia Gadelha vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk tomorrow should determine Esparza's No. 1 contender.

Gadelha is the fight most will be hoping for. She and Esparza have exchanged barbs, and they were supposed to fight in Invicta, but that fight fell through. They are two of the best, if not the best, in the world at the weight classification. And stylistically it is a challenge for both.

Jedrzejczyk should not be left out of this equation, but her grappling leaves a lot to be desired in relation to Gadelha and Esparza.

We will know who's next in line after Saturday. Either way, Esparza has her work cut out for her first title defense, and the UFC has a premiere challenger lined up right away.

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