Former 2-Time UFC Strawweight Queen Carla Esparza Announces Birth of Son

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight queen Carla Esparza and her husband, Matthew Lomeli, have revealed the birth of their first child on social media.

Donovan Lomeli, born at 7:20 p.m. local time on Sept. 23, registered a healthy seven pounds and six ounces and entered the world at 19.6 inches.

“Best day of my life,” the 35-year-old said on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter. “Five hours of active labor, 20 minutes of pushing with zero tearing, and our healthy baby boy was here! We are now resting at home and loving on our little guy.”

The Team Oyama export is a two-time UFC champion. She became the Las Vegas-based promotion’s first strawweight ace with a submission win over Rose Namajunas at “The Ultimate Fighter 20” finale in 2014 before losing the strap to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185. Esparza last competed in November, losing her title to Zhang Weili via rear-naked choke in the second round. The defeat capped a resurgence from the “Cookie Monster,” who earned six straight victories and another upset of Namajunas in a title-capturing performance at UFC 274.

Esparza has not publicly discussed a timetable for a potential return to the Octagon.