In Photos: UFC fighter Carla Esparza and husband ring-in their baby boy's first birthday with a cake-filled celebration

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Carla Esparza (left) celebrates her son's (right) first birthday [Image Courtesy: @carlaesparza1 via Instagram]

Carla Esparza's son, Donovan, just enjoyed his first birthday. The soon-to-be retired UFC women's strawweight took to Instagram with a series of pictures to celebrate her son's birthday alongside her husband Matthew Lomeli, with whom she tied the knot in 2022.

The couple decorated their home and wore party hats, as did their son. Moreover, the family also enjoyed cake together.

Esparza posted the photo collage of her son's birthday with a caption celebrating both him and her experience as a mother.

Check out some of the photos below:

Carla Esparza's photo collage for her son's birthday
Carla Esparza's photo collage for her son's birthday
Carla Esparza's photo collage for her son's birthday
Carla Esparza's photo collage for her son's birthday
"Happy 1st birthday Donovan!!! Being your mom and watching you grow is by far the best experience of my life."

Check out the Instagram post below:

Now Esparza will look to focus more on her personal life than her professional one, as she edges toward retirement. However, it is worth noting that her recent run of form in the UFC has been fairly impressive. She had authored a six-fight win streak over elite competition.

Among the six foes she beat were then-future UFC women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and former two-time UFC women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.

Unfortunately, 'Cookie Monster' was handed a submission loss by Zhang Weili at UFC 281 and has made the decision to retire after one more fight.


Carla Esparza and Matthew Lomeli welcomed their son on Instagram

Last year on Sept. 28, Carla Esparza and her husband Matthew Lomeli took to Instagram to welcome their son with a post.

Despite the date on which the post was made, their son Donovan was actually born on Sept. 23. It marked one of several milestones the couple has already celebrated by now.

They were married in 2022, a year prior to their child's birth. Now, they've celebrated their first father and mother's day together.

On the professional front, Eparza, who has accomplished all that she could have hoped for, including a stint as a two-time strawweight women's champion, is in her twilight years.

She is scheduled to face Tecia Pennington at UFC 307 in a women's strawweight encounter. The matchup is billed as Esparza's retirement bout and will take place just five days prior to her 37th birthday.

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Edited by Harvey Leonard