Female MMA Champion Donates to Ecuador for Earthquake Relief

Mixed Martial Arts fighter Carla Esparza is promoting aid to Ecuador after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Latin American nation on April 16.

Esparza won the Ultimate Fighting Champion 97 on Saturday, and contributed US$1,000 to help relief efforts.

"I have decided to donate $1,000 to the people affected by the earthquake in Ecuador," the champion fighter said in an Instagram post. "I am posting this not for praise, but just to raise an awareness for the people suffering in Ecuador."

The charity that will receive the donation is the Brother's Brother Foundation, which has a "100 percent fundraising efficiency effort," according to Esparza's research.

Born in California, Esparza is a U.S. citizen, but she is of Mexican, Irish and Ecuadorean descent.

Donations are much needed. It is estimated that the cost of repairing the damage caused by the quake will be between US$2 and $3 billion. At least 659 people are confirmed dead and 29,000 are displaced. Ecuador has since been rocked by over 800 aftershocks and a few unrelated smaller earthquakes.