Carla Esparza has climbed back to the top of the strawweight division and now sees herself one away from a shot at her old title.

Esparza (17-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who captured the inaugural 115-pound belt after winning Season 20 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2014, was dethroned by Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her first title defense.

But, following some mixed results in the octagon, Esparza has turned things around by winning her last four fights, including notable wins over Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez, to return to the upper echelon of the division.

“I’m not one to speak ahead of myself, but I feel with what I’ve done so far, I’ve earned my spot,” Esparza told MMA Junkie. “The proof is in what I’ve accomplished in these last four fights. I’ve had very tough competition and not only that, but I actually did have to change my mindset a couple of years ago because I did come off, for the first time in my career, two losses in a row.

“To me, it’s what are you going to do in this sport? Are you gonna stay on this road or are you gonna go to the drawing board, take a look at yourself and evolve? That’s what I had to do, and I feel like I’ve made a lot of changes since then, and I feel like my four-fight win streak shows that, and all that combined makes me feel more confident in saying that I am ready for this title fight.”

Esparza draws surging prospect Yan Xiaonan (13-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on May 22 in what she expects to be a No. 1 contender fight.

When asked if she thought a victory would earn her a title shot, she replied, “Yeah, definitely. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking past Yan. She’s very tough competition, her striking is very crisp, she’s a great fighter. But to me it’s like I know in my heart that that’s my fight and nothing is gonna stand in the way of me getting there.”

While Esparza is impressed by Xiaonan, who is unbeaten in the UFC, she’s no stranger to facing a highly touted prospect and said she is looking forward to derailing another hype train and cementing herself as the next title challenger.

“I think she’s just another up-and-comer,” Esparza said. “Good fighter, fast striking. I haven’t seen her too much, I just started studying her recently. But she’s obviously where she’s at for a reason. I know she recently had a big win over Claudia (Gadelha) so, to me, it’s just another tough fighter in the division.

“I’ve been fighting the best of the best for so long, to me, it’s just another one. I’ve won and I’ve lost against some of the best in the world so it’s gonna be nothing new, but I think it’s gonna be more of a test for her to see where she’s at and I’m hoping to, not to be disrespectful, but put her back in her place and take what’s rightfully mine.”