Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza made a triumphant return to the octagon on April 23 at UFC 197 in Las Vegas.

The standout wrestler, who had been out of action for more than 13 months, earned a short-notice unanimous-decision victory over Brazilian contender Juliana Lima in a featured 115-pound matchup.

Esparza (11-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) made history in late 2014 when she became the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight champion by submitting Rose Namajunas at the TUF 20 Finale, but her reign on top was short-lived and she was knocked out by Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185. When Jessica Aguilar was forced to withdraw from UFC 197 due to an injury, Esparza stepped back into the cage as a late replacement and shut out Lima (8-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on the scorecards.

In Round 1, Lima landed knees and punches in a clinch that forced Esparza to shoot in for a takedown. Lima was very active off of her back and she attacked with a triangle choke attempt and a series of upkicks. Esparza maintained top position and she landed short punches from Lima’s guard. She took Lima back down in the second round and scored with punches from half-guard. Esparza dominated the positional battle on the mat until Lima used a heel hook attempt to secure a late-round sweep into top position.

Esparza scored another takedown early in Round 3 and she landed punches and elbows until Lima scrambled back to her feet. After taking Lima back down, Esparza punished her with a series of knees to the body, but Lima refused to concede defeat and she attempted an inverted triangle choke and an arm-triangle choke before time expired.

In spite of Lima’s submission attempts, all three judges favored Esparza’s takedowns and ground and pound. Scores were 30-27 across the board for the former UFC champion, who bounced back from the loss to Jedrzejczyk and re-entered the title picture.

Valerie Letourneau

Flyweight bout among two new additions to UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa

Recent UFC women’s strawweight title challenger Valerie Letourneau (8-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) competes in her home country on June 18 at UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Letourneau is set to face off against standout striker Joanne Calderwood (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in a unique one-off flyweight bout.

Letourneau, who began her UFC career as a bantamweight in 2014, won back-to-back fights as a strawweight this past year, and she now becomes the first woman to compete in three different UFC weight classes. Victories over Jessica Rakoczy and Maryna Moroz earned Letourneau a shot at the UFC women’s strawweight title, and she put forth a solid showing against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 193, but Jedrzejczyk controlled the latter half of the fight and prevailed via unanimous decision after five hard-fought rounds.

Calderwood appeared to be on the fast track to a UFC women’s strawweight title shot herself until she was upset by Moroz in just 90 seconds at UFC Fight Night 64. The shocking loss was a significant setback for the Scottish star, but Calderwood made a quick return to the octagon and picked up a competitive decision victory over Cortney Casey at UFC Fight Night 72 in July.

In addition to the Letourneau-Calderwood flyweight fight, UFC Fight Night 89 also features a strawweight matchup between “TUF 20” semifinalist Randa Markos (5-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and RFA champ Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Markos looks to rebound from a decision loss to undefeated Polish contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and she will have the crowd on her side in Ottawa. Jones-Lybarger suffered a decision loss to Tecia Torres in her short-notice octagon debut at UFC 194, and she now looks to upset Markos in June.

Felice Herrig

Felice Herrig faces Kailin Curran at UFC on FOX 20 in Chicago

Popular strawweight Felice Herrig (10-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) returns following a 15-month hiatus and competes in front of a partisan hometown crowd on July 23 at UFC on FOX 20 in Chicago. Herrig is set to battle Hawaiian prospect Kailin Curran (4-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) on the card.

Herrig’s run on “The Ultimate Fighter 20” ended in the quarterfinal round when she was defeated by Randa Markos, but she picked up her first official UFC victory by submitting Lisa Ellis at the TUF 20 Finale in late 2014. The veteran striker’s most recent fight ended in a lopsided decision loss to Paige VanZant at UFC on FOX 15, and Herrig now hopes to get back to her winning ways with a key victory in July.

Curran suffered her first professional loss in a thrilling bout with VanZant in November 2014, and she appeared to be minutes away from taking a dominant decision victory over Alex Chambers at UFC Fight Night 65 until Chambers stole a win with a come-from-behind third-round armbar. The disappointing loss left Curran in a must-win situation in December, but she notched her first UFC victory by submitting Emily Kagan at UFC Fight Night 80.

Eight women advance through elimination round in “TUF 23” debut

Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha

“The Ultimate Fighter 23: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia” debuted April 20 with a special two-hour episode that featured this season’s elimination-round fights. Coached by bitter rivals Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha, two opposing teams – each composed of four male light heavyweights and four female strawweights – will face off this season to determine one male and one female winner.

The first episode featured 16 female strawweight prospects vying for a coveted spot in the “TUF” house. Competitors from all over the world took to the cage in hopes of impressing Jedrzejczyk and Gadelha, as well as UFC President Dana White, who watched cageside.

“TUF 23” premiere quick results:

• Amanda Bobby Cooper (1-1) def. Mellony Geugjes (0-1) via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:00
• Lanchana Green (0-1) def. Ashley Cummins (3-3) via TKO (knees and punches) – Round 2, 3:11
• Jamie Moyle (3-1) def. Alyssa Krahn (3-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:11
• Ashley Yoder (4-1) def. Jodie Esquibel (5-1) via split decision (20-18, 20-18, 18-20)
• J.J. Aldrich (2-1) def. Kristi Lopez (2-0) via unanimous decision (20-18, 20-18, 20-18)
• Tatiana Suarez Padilla (3-0) def. Chel-c Bailey (2-0) via unanimous decision (20-18, 20-18, 20-18)
• Kate Jackson (7-2-1) def. Irene Cabello Rivera (6-2) via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:47
• Helen Harper (4-1) def. Amy Cadwell (7-2) via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:09

Following the elimination bouts, teams were chosen by the coaches. Aldrich, Moyle, Yoder and Harper will compete for “Team Joanna.” Padilla, Jackson, Cooper and Green will fight for “Team Claudia.” Top picks Aldrich and Padilla face off in next week’s first female quarterfinal bout.

Syuri Kondo wins MMA debut, edges out Kanna Asakura at Pancrase 277

Krush women’s kickboxing champion Syuri Kondo (1-0) began her mixed martial arts career with a close and competitive victory on April 24 at Pancrase 277 in Tokyo. Kondo outpointed 18-year-old prospect Kanna Asakura (3-1) in a back-and-forth strawweight bout.

Kondo, who has also enjoyed a successful career in pro wrestling, sports a 13-1 record in kickboxing and is one of Japan’s most well-known female strikers. She was unable to showcase her formidable standup skills against Asakura, however, as the bout was primarily contested in clinch battles against the cage with three-minute rounds leaving the fighters with minimal time to work.

Asakura tried for takedowns against the fence in Round 1, but Kondo defended well by landing knees to the head and body. She landed some nice jabs in the second stanza, but Asakura dragged her down to the mat and continued to pursue takedowns as the round progressed. The fighters traded knees and punches on the feet before the end of the round.

With the close fight still very much up for grabs, Kondo picked up the pace in Round 3 and she attacked with right hooks and more knees. She used a front choke to pull Asakura down to the mat and hopped on her back soon after. Asakura stood up, but Kondo set up a rear-naked choke in the process. She tightened her grip on the choke and Asakura fell to the canvas, but time expired and Asakura may have been saved by the bell.

All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Kondo, who made a successful MMA debut with the unanimous-decision victory. Following the fight, she made it clear that her goal is to make it to the UFC, and she hopes to one day challenge current UFC champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Atomweight title fight among seven bouts confirmed for Deep Jewels 12

In the wake of former champion Mei Yamaguchi’s decision to vacate her title, the Deep Jewels atomweight championship will be up for grabs on June 5 at Deep Jewels 12 in Tokyo. Former interim strawweight champion Emi Tomimatsu (11-10) looks to become a two-division Deep Jewels titleholder when she battles ex-Jewels champ Naho Sugiyama (11-4) in the main event.

Tomimatsu is currently riding a three-fight winning streak under the Deep Jewels banner that includes a pair of submission victories. This past month, she forced former Deep Jewels atomweight title challenger Saori Ishioka to tap out to a second-round rear-naked choke at Deep Jewels 11. Sugiyama has scored wins in three of her past four fights, with the lone defeat coming against current Invicta FC champion Ayaka Hamasaki. She most recently defeated Mina Kurobe in a three-round bout at Deep Jewels 10 in November.

The aforementioned Ishioka (13-9) will also be in action at Deep Jewels 12. She looks to halt a two-fight losing skid when she takes on 19-year-old prospect Hana Date (1-1) in an atomweight bout. Ishioka returned to MMA in 2014 following a two-year hiatus and scored an action-packed submission win over Satomi Takano at Deep Jewels 4, but setbacks against Seo Hee Ham and Tomimatsu have dropped her out of the title picture. Hana upset Pan Hui in her MMA debut at Deep Jewels 10, but she was outpointed by Kurobe at Deep Jewels 11.

Grappling specialist Yuko Oya (8-4) makes her long-awaited return to the ring at Deep Jewels 12. Oya is set to face off against 17-year-old Nori Date (0-2) in a 54-kilogram matchup. Oya’s most recent appearance for Deep Jewels came in late 2014 when she had a three-fight winning streak snapped by Tomo Maesawa. Nori surprised many onlookers by taking former Deep Jewels title challenger Emi Fujino to the limit in a competitive bout at Deep Jewels 10, but her second bout for the promotion ended in a one-sided loss to Mizuki Inoue at Deep Jewels 11.

In other professional action at Deep Jewels 12, Mina Kurobe (6-2) faces Renju Date (0-0) in an atomweight bout, Tomo Maesawa (5-5) takes on Karei Date (0-1) at strawweight, and Yuko Kiryu (0-2) meets Real Date (0-1) in atomweight action. Ayumi Ozaki squares off against 12-year-old Karen Date in a two-round amateur atomweight bout.

Quick results

Atomweight – April Osenio (1-1) def. Natalie Gonzales Hills (2-4) via submission (armbar) at the 3:23 mark of Round 1 at ONE Championship 40 on April 15 in Pasay, Manila, Philippines.

Strawweight – Cris Macfer (2-0-1) and Natalia Cristina Miranda Silva (2-3-1) fought to a draw at BH Sparta 8 on April 15 in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Flyweight – Also at BH Sparta 8, Lara Fritzen Procopio de Amorim (2-0) def. Erica Rush (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 2:39 mark of Round 1.

Catchweight (132) – Montserrat Alvarez Cienfuegos Tendilla (3-2) def. Mixia Medina (0-2) via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 1 at “Gladiators Coliseum: Black Samurai 2016” on April 15 in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Strawweight – Xiaonan Yan (8-1) def. Seo Hee Lim (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 3:28 mark of Round 1 at Road Fighting Championship 30 on April 16 in Beijing, China.

Bantamweight – Caitlin McEwen (1-0) def. Jess Doueihi (0-2) via TKO (punches) at the 1:32 mark of Round 1 at “Brace 39: Christakos vs. Manderson” on April 16 in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

Squash Match (130) – Anastasia Yankova (3-0) def. Anjela Pink (0-1) via submission (armbar) at the 1:35 mark of Round 1 at Bellator 152 on April 16 in Turin, Italy.

Bantamweight – Lucrezia Ria (2-1) def. Elodie Giorla (1-1) via submission (armbar) at the 3:47 mark of Round 1 at “Kombat League: Trieste in the Arena” on April 16 in Trieste, Italy.

Strawweight – Aitek Emadi (2-3-1) def. Alice Ardelean (1-4) via unanimous decision at German MMA Championship 8 on April 16 in Castrop-Rauxel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Flyweight – Maguy Berchel (5-1-1) def. Audrey Kerouche (3-3) via submission (armbar) in Round 1 at “Gods of the Arena 4: The Pride Edition” on April 16 in Aubenas, France.

Flyweight – Molly McCann (2-1) def. Valerie Domergue (1-1) via split decision at Shock n Awe 22 on April 16 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England.

Strawweight – Also on the Shock n Awe 22 card, Jade Barker (1-1) def. Judith Levi (1-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 2:30 mark of Round 2.

Flyweight – Mabelly Lima (4-0) def. Gina Brito Silva Santana (1-6) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 3:38 mark of Round 1 at Aspera Fighting Championship 34 on April 16 in Limoeiro do Norte, Ceara, Brazil.

Catchweight (130) – Sarah Frota (1-0) def. Bruna Felicio (0-1) via submission (triangle choke) at the 3:31 mark of Round 2 at “BH Fight Night: Felicio vs. Frota” on April 16 in Goiania, Goias, Brazil.

Strawweight – Also on the BH Fight Night card, Elika Rodrigues (1-0) def. Rubia Gomes (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 57-second mark of Round 1.

Bantamweight – Rosy Duarte (9-4) def. Juliana Menezes de Moura (3-3) via unanimous decision at Santa Rita Fight Champions 1 on April 16 in Brazil.

Strawweight – Istela Nunes de Silva (4-0) def. Karoline Martins Moreira (3-1) via KO (head kicks) at the 3:00 mark of Round 3 at Festival de Lutas da CUFA 2 on April 21 in Rio de Janeiro.

Catchweight (130) – Geli Bulaong (2-0) def. Jen Damaso (0-2) via submission (guillotine choke) at the 3:10 mark of Round 1 at “Universal Reality Combat Championship 27: Rebellion” on April 23 in Manila, Philippines.

Flyweight – Fabrina Vanessa (3-2) def. Jaqueline Bento Farias (0-1) via unanimous decision at Aspera Fighting Championship 35 on April 23 in Ji Parana, Rondonia, Brazil.

Bantamweight – Luana Carvalho (0-1-1) and Nubia Santos do Nascimento (1-2-1) fought to a draw at Zona Oeste Fire Fight 2 on April 16 in Rio de Janeiro.

Strawweight – Davina Maciel (6-1) def. Kiara Molina (0-1) via submission (armbar) in Round 1 at “Extreme Fight Academy: Mexico vs. Brazil 2” on April 23 in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico.

Atomweight – Kyra Batara (5-3) def. Jenny Silverio (4-2) via TKO (punches) at the 4:13 mark of Round 2 at “Combate Americas: Road to the Championship 4” on April 25 in Los Angeles.

Catchweight (129) – Also on the Combate Americas card, Paola Ramirez (1-1) def. Amber Tackett (1-3) via TKO (Superman punch) at the 4:05 mark of Round 1.

MMAjunkie publishes the Women’s MMA Report every few weeks. Its author, Robert Sargent, is a veteran MMA journalist who also runs MMARising.com. Feel free to email us at news [AT] mmajunkie.com with any questions, news tips or suggestions.