Fall River's Tecia Pennington wins UFC fight against former champion

Fall River's Tecia Pennington is back on the winning list.

After losing consecutive split decisions, the “Tiny Tornado” defeated Carla Esparza by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in a competitive strawweight (115-pound) bout at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City. The fight was the last of Esparza's career, a two-time UFC champion.

In the fight, 35-year-old Pennington found success in stand-up and with her leg kicks. Esparza, one of the organization's top wrestlers, found her success by defeating Pennington.

Tecia Pennington UFC's record

Pennington joined the UFC after competing on Season 20 of the Ultimate Fighter in 2014. She lost to Esparza in the quarterfinals, a fight that was officially recorded as a showdown.

After starting her professional career 4-0, Pennington won her first three fights in the UFC before losing to future champion Rose Namajunas. She has fought many of the best fighters in UFC history, including Zhang Weili and Joanna Jędrzejczyk.

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Pennington has an overall record of 14-7, including a 10-7 mark in the UFC.

Who is Tecia Pennington's wife?

Pennington, whose maiden name is Torres, is married to UFC bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington. The couple has a 16-month-old daughter named Alayah.

Raquel (16-9) is the UFC bantamweight champion and will also fight Saturday night. Her title is on the line in the co-main event against Julianna Peña (12-5).

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Tecia Pennington defeats Carla Esparza at UFC 307