3. Carla Esparza
In 2014, UFC wanted to crown an inaugural UFC strawweight champion through the Ultimate Fighter. Several top-name female fighters at 115lbs competed in the tournament. Ultimately, it would come down to Rose Namajunas versus Carla Esparza in the finals.
This was not the Rose Namajunas we know now, however. She was significantly less experienced at this time. Esparza won the title via rear-naked choke against Namajunas but just 3 months later would get destroyed by Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The degree to which Joanna made Esparza look silly is almost unmatched in UFC title fights.
Esparza has been trying to fight her way back into contention ever since.
