When UFC first introduced the strawweight division in 2013, there were a lot of skeptics. Many fans didn't think a 115-pound weight class would be entertaining to watch.

But Carla "Cookie Monster" Esparza has proven that to be very untrue. Esparza, the current UFC strawweight champion has defied the odds with her grappling submissions and knockout punches. Hailing from Southern California, the 27-year-old Esparza is one of the rising young stars in UFC today.

As Esparza prepares to take on Joanna Jedrzejczyk on Saturday, March 14 at the American Airlines center in Dallas, Texas, she was kind enough to speak with Latin Post in an exclusive interview before her big fight:

1. What made you pursue a career in mixed martial arts?

"I started off wrestling at the young age of 14 in high school. I tried different martial arts like Tai and Jiu-Jitsu over the summer just to keep busy, and I fell in love with the sport. I've been doing full-time mixed martial arts since I was 16 years old."

Note: Carla Esparza began wrestling at Redondo Union High School in California.

2. Last year, you defeated Rose Namajunas for the UFC Strawweight Championship. What kind of experience was that?

"The experience was pretty crazy because of the huge build up from the show, and it was my first time being on the UFC stage. It was a crazy experience from start to finish, but definitely worthwhile. It's an experience I'll never forget."

3. Cookie Monster?

"I've had the nickname for at least three years now. I got it because I have a sweet tooth, and my favorite snack is cookies. One day my coach called me out at the gym because he caught me sneaking cookies in and said "You're like a freaking cookie monster!" Everybody laughed and started using the nickname. The nickname has just stuck from there. But I haven't had a cookie in over a month -- I feel like I'm in cookie rehab."

4. Ronda Rousey congratulated you on Twitter after your impressive victory over Rose Namajunas saying you made "history" and you brought more presence to women's sports. How does it feel being a women in a historically male-dominated sport?

"It feels amazing. I feel like we're breaking down barriers every day. Who would have thought five years ago that today a female would be headlining UFC pay-per-view events? It just goes to show women's MMA is here to stay."

5. You're Ecuadorian, Mexican, and you're trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu self defense. How important is your Latin American heritage?

"It's very important to me to be a representative of the Latin American community to inspire the young Hispanic girls coming up. I can show them that if I can do it, so can they."

6. You recently said after Rousey's latest 14-second win that many of the 135-pound fighters may drop down to the 115-pound class. Could you ever see yourself moving up to the bantamweight?

"Bantamweight is pretty high up, so I think I would have to eat a lot of cookies to get there. I'm pretty small for a 115-pound fighter. I think it's a cool idea. It would be a cool super fight, but that would probably be too big for me right now."

7. The strawweight is the newest UFC division. Many were skeptical early on. How do feel it has done?

"I think it's working out just fine. The strawweight division is still so new to UFC. So far there's only been the tough finale card and we're just now barely starting to set out to all the other cards. I think it's going to be a good year for the strawweights."

Note: Esparza is currently the No. 1 seed in the strawweight division, and she is the No. 4 women's pound for pound fighter, according to ESPN.

Okay, let's talk about your next fight...

8. Your next fight is against Joanna Jędrzejczyk, the No. 1 contender. She's 8-0. How do you plan on stopping her undefeated streak? Jędrzejczyk also has a five inch height advantage and a slim reach advantage. How are you going to overcome that?

"My goal is to go out there and finish the fight. I still have a lot of submissions in my pocket. Being shorter than my opponent isn't nothing new for me. For me it's just another day. Being small can actually be somewhat of a strength advantage because fighters who are shorter and stockier tend to have a lot of power behind their punches as opposed to longer and lengthier fighters."

9. Joanna Jędrzejczyk said you were "afraid" of her. Any response to that?

"Not really. Anything can happen, this is MMA. I'm just going to let my fighting do the talking. I hope she keeps thinking that and underestimates me. We'll see what happens come Saturday."

10. Why do you think so many younger fans are moving away from boxing and towards MMA? And who do you think will win in the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao match?

"I think so much of the younger generation sees the terrific opportunity with MMA. MMA is the biggest growing sport right now. It's huge. It's become a big part of our culture now. There's just so much more entertainment going on. I feel like Mayweather is so unstoppable right now. If it were three to five years ago, I would have said Pacquiao, but Mayweather is at the top of his game. He's just faster. I think Mayweather will come home with the win."

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