Carla Esparza returns against Juliana Lima at UFC 197

An injury to Jessica Aguilar has created an opening for former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza.

Aguilar was originally scheduled to face Juliana Lima at UFC 197 on April 23, but she will now be replaced by Esparza who makes her return to the Octagon 13 months after her last fight.

On Tuesday, Esparza confirmed the booking on Instagram:

A shoulder injury and subsequent surgery kept Esparza on the sidelines for the majority of 2015. Her most recent fight was against Joanna Jedrzejczyk last March, a TKO-loss that cost her the UFC strawweight title.

Lima has decision wins in her last two fights against Ericka Almeida and Nina Ansaroff. The replacement news doesn't make things any easier for her as Esparza is currently No. 2 in the UFC's official 125-pound rankings.