Ultimate Fighting Calendar
UFCUFC 249: Ferguson vs Gaethje
Women's Strawweight3 rounds scheduled
WIN
Carla Esparza
Carla Esparza
“Cookie Monster”
20-8-0
RESULT

Carla Esparza def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez (Split Decision)

Split Decision · Round 3 · 5:00
Michelle Waterson-Gomez
United StatesMichelle Waterson-Gomez
“The Karate Hottie”
18-13-0
Saturday, May 9, 2020
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, United States

Carla Esparza defeated Michelle Waterson-Gomez by Split Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Women's Strawweight bout of UFC 249: Ferguson vs Gaethje, held Saturday, May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville. The judges scored it 29-28, 30-27, 27-30, Carla Esparza won the decision.

Fight stats

Carla Esparza
Michelle Waterson-Gomez
0
Knockdowns
0
45 of 103
Significant strikes
44 of 98
44%
Sig. strike accuracy
45%
48 of 106
Total strikes
44 of 98
1 of 10
Takedowns
0 of 0
10%
Takedown accuracy
-
0
Submission attempts
0
0
Reversals
0
0:46
Control time
0:00
Significant strikes by target
34 of 88
Head
15 of 60
6 of 8
Body
13 of 16
5 of 7
Leg
16 of 22
39 of 94
Distance
39 of 92
5 of 8
Clinch
5 of 6
1 of 1
Ground
0 of 0

By round

ROUND 1
0
KD
0
5 of 18
Sig. str.
9 of 28
7 of 20
Total str.
9 of 28
1 of 1
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:35
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 2
0
KD
0
15 of 31
Sig. str.
13 of 26
16 of 32
Total str.
13 of 26
0 of 3
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 3
0
KD
0
25 of 54
Sig. str.
22 of 44
25 of 54
Total str.
22 of 44
0 of 6
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:11
Ctrl
0:00

Judges' Scorecards

Sal D'Amato
#EsparzaWaterson-Gomez
1109
2910
3109
Total2928
Howard Reichbach
#EsparzaWaterson-Gomez
1109
2109
3109
Total3027
Dave Tirelli
#EsparzaWaterson-Gomez
1910
2910
3910
Total2730

Media Scores

8
Esparza
-
9
Waterson-Gomez
●29-28 Esparza×8●29-28 Waterson-Gomez×8●30-27 Waterson-Gomez
All 17 media scorecards▾

Fan Scorecards

43%
Esparza
1%
Draw
56%
Waterson-Gomez
181 fan scorecards submitted
●29-28 Waterson-Gomez38.1%●29-28 Esparza37.6%●30-27 Waterson-Gomez17.7%●30-27 Esparza4.4%
Fans' round-by-round verdict
R1
50%
Esparza
R2
82%
Waterson-Gomez
R3
61%
Esparza

Scorecard data via mmadecisions.com

Frequently asked questions

Who won Carla Esparza vs Michelle Waterson-Gomez?

Carla Esparza defeated Michelle Waterson-Gomez by Split Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Women's Strawweight bout of UFC 249: Ferguson vs Gaethje, held Saturday, May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville. The judges scored it 29-28, 30-27, 27-30, Carla Esparza won the decision.

What were the judges' scorecards for Carla Esparza vs Michelle Waterson-Gomez?

The judges scored it 29-28, 30-27, 27-30, Carla Esparza won the decision.

Was Carla Esparza vs Michelle Waterson-Gomez a robbery?

Many scored it for Michelle Waterson-Gomez: 56% of 181 fan cards scored it for Michelle Waterson-Gomez; 53% of 17 media scores picked Michelle Waterson-Gomez. The judges gave it to Carla Esparza.

Full robbery index →
Referee
Dan Miragliotta
Time format
3 Rnd (5-5-5)
Pre-fight comparison▾

Win probability

Carla Esparza 65%35% Michelle Waterson-Gomez

What the model gave each fighter going into the fight, from their pre-fight UFCalendar Power Index ratings. See the full Power Index

Fight DNA

Head to head

UFCalendar's style model · Women's Strawweight roster (9 fighters)

Carla Esparza
Grappling Specialist
6 edges
Michelle Waterson-Gomez
Complete Fighter
5 edges
PowerSpeedPrecisionDurabilityEngineWrestlingGround

Radar scaled to this matchup · bars show the gap

Style shape

88Power82
91Speed81
90Precision62
93Durability82
95Engine94
91Wrestling92
93Ground88

Biggest edge Carla Esparza, Accuracy +28

Attribute by attribute

Carla Esparza is on the left of every row, Michelle Waterson-Gomez on the right.
88Punch power70
88Kick power94
91Punch speed69
90Kick speed93
90Accuracy62
91Takedowns92
93Ground striking82
93Submissions94
95Chin96
90Body strength68
95Cardio94

Attributes are rated 0-100 by UFCalendar's style model.

Tale of the Tape

20-8-0
Record
18-13-0
1759
Power Index rating
1650
0
Win Streak
0
38
Age
40
5'1"
155 cm
Height
5'3"
160 cm
63"
160 cm
Reach
62"
157 cm
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Women's Strawweight
Weight Class
Women's Strawweight
United States / Ecuador
Nationality
United States

Striking Profile

2.19
SLpM
3.42
39%
Str. Acc.
46%
2.87
SApM
4.25
54%
Str. Def.
48%

Grappling Profile

3.28
TD Avg.
1.39
36%
TD Acc.
33%
47%
TD Def.
69%
0.30
Sub. Avg.
0.60

Recent form (last 5 fights)

Carla Esparza · 2-3
  • L
    Tecia Pennington
    UFC 307: Pereira vs Rountree Jr. · Oct 5, 2024
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Women's Strawweight
  • L
    Zhang Weili
    UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira · Nov 12, 2022
    Submission · R2 · 1:05 · Women's Strawweight
  • W
    Rose Namajunas
    UFC 274: Oliveira vs Gaethje · May 7, 2022
    Split Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Women's Strawweight
  • L
    Danielle Kelly
    Fury Pro Grappling 3 · Dec 30, 2021
    TKO · R1 · 4:26
  • W
    Yan Xiaonan
    UFC Fight Night: Font vs Garbrandt · May 22, 2021
    TKO · R2 · 2:58 · Women's Strawweight
Michelle Waterson-Gomez · 0-5
  • L
    Gillian Robertson
    UFC 303: Pereira vs Procházka 2 · Jun 29, 2024
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Women's Strawweight
  • L
    Marina Rodriguez
    UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs Gamrot · Sep 23, 2023
    TKO · R2 · 2:42 · Women's Strawweight
  • L
    Luana Pinheiro
    UFC 287: Pereira vs Adesanya 2 · Apr 8, 2023
    Split Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Women's Strawweight
  • L
    Amanda Lemos
    UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs Rodriguez · Jul 16, 2022
    Submission · R2 · 1:48 · Women's Strawweight
  • L
    Marina Rodriguez
    UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs Waterson - Event · May 8, 2021
    Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Women's Flyweight

Career Averages

Based on 16 fights · 15 fights
30.8
Avg sig. strikes
52.0
3.06
Avg takedowns
1.27
3:58
Avg control time
2:39
48
Career high strikes
128
6
Career high TDs
3

Strike Distribution

Carla Esparza
Strike target
Michelle Waterson-Gomez
74%
Head
47%
14%
Body
28%
12%
Leg
25%
Carla Esparza
Strike position
Michelle Waterson-Gomez
57%
Distance
70%
13%
Clinch
19%
30%
Ground
11%