UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza got married on Saturday, May 14, wearing her newly-won UFC Championship belt.
Her wedding came one week after she won the medal, making her a two-time women’s champion.
When she signed on for UFC 274, many thought she would postpone her wedding since she was in camp. However, she chose to go ahead with the fight and with the wedding one week after the fight.
Esparza explained her decision to not move her wedding date despite being in camp.
She said: “Fight and wedding are one week apart. When I was offered this fight date, I immediately said yes. There was no hesitation. This fight would take priority over everything, I was even willing to change my wedding date knowing that my fiance?, friends, and family would understand.
“Well, since the wedding is the week after the fight, I had a choice to make. And to be honest, I was really struggling with the decision of whether or not to change my wedding date. Everyone wants to look and feel beautiful on their wedding day. I went to my fiance?, and what he told me sealed my decision.
“He said, ‘honey, if you have bumps or bruises, that’s perfectly ok with me, I knew what I signed up for when I asked a fighter to marry me. It’s part of your job. I think you are so beautiful, but I am not marrying you just for your beauty. I’m marrying you for ‘.
“I am just so grateful to have this support from my amazing fiance? Matt. Te amo mi amor , can’t wait to marry you.”
During the interview following UFC 274, Esparza confirmed she would be taking the belt with her to be a part of her wedding ceremony.
She said: “I’m gonna walk with this belt down the aisle as my something new. It’s gonna be wrapped around my wedding dress. What cooler piece of jewellery or accessory can you have than this belt?”
True to her words, she wore her championship belt over her wedding dress.
