Carla Esparza is a fighter who won the hard way, as a hard-nosed wrestler who had no elite sporting ability, but worked hard day in and day out, and was still not appreciated by fans for her style.

She defeated fan favorite Rose Namajunas twice, once in one of the worst fights of all time, so fans often booed her even when she became champion.

As a result, it must be a good feeling for ‘The Cookie Monster’ to be fiercely defended by fans who felt she deserved the decision over Tecia Pennington on Saturday at UFC 307.

The fans of Salt Lake City, Utah, booed vigorously during Pennington’s entire post-fight speech after she got the nod, with a scorecard of 30-27 for Tecia making them strongly express their displeasure.

When the microphone switched to Esparza as she held her son in his “Cookie Monster” onesie, the boos immediately turned to cheers during her retirement speech and career retrospective video put together by the promotion.

Retirement fights rarely go well in mixed martial arts, so it’s a treat to see a former underrated champion give it her all, deliver an exciting fight and get the send-off she deserves from fans and company alike.