Tracy Cortez of Phoenix will get her first likelihood to be a part of a UFC important occasion on Saturday, and on high of that, she’ll seem on ESPN stay from Denver’s Ball Enviornment in her light-weight bout towards Rose Namajunas.
Cortez, 30, is undefeated in 5 UFC bouts and 11-1 general. A brief-notice fill-in opponent for Namajunas, who has been a UFC strawweight champion, she went from working her method up the flyweight division and simply three fights in 26 months to the largest alternative of her profession on Saturday night time.
“It took me a while with not with the ability to be as energetic as I would really like. However I am past grateful to be right here,” Cortez advised The Arizona Republic this week. “Greater than something I am feeling prepared.”
Combating is in Cortez’s blood. Her older brother Reyes is an expert blended martial arts fighter, and one other brother, the late JoseĢ Cortez, was working towards his dream of being in UFC when he was identified with germ cell most cancers. He misplaced his battle with the illness, and Tracy has additional devoted herself to an MMA profession ever since.
“I began combating due to him,” Tracy mentioned of her brother. “Being right here, not solely is it a dream come true nevertheless it’s one thing that I labored for to maintain his reminiscence alive. Come Saturday night time I hope to not simply fulfill his dream however to make him proud and get a victory.”
Cortez earned a UFC contract in 2019 after a win in UFC President Dana White’s Contender Collection in Las Vegas. A number of years later, she had her first UFC bout in her hometown and impressed in a unanimous choice win at UFC 274 at Footprint Heart.
She’s handled a number of accidents which have stored her from combating extra repeatedly, and has taken criticism on social media for sharing her tales of overcoming adversity. She arrived on the weigh-in for Saturday’s struggle a half-pound over the 126-pound restrict, then returned to the dimensions a short while later with tears in her eyes having lower her lengthy hair to efficiently make weight.
However Cortez mentioned she’s at all times believed in herself and knew she could be in a giant struggle at some point.
“I simply did not suppose it could be in a single day. Every thing is occurring so quick,” she mentioned. “All of the years that I put within the work, and it simply coming, which it nearly seems like a snap of a finger, however the period that it took me to get right here will not be solely a dream come true however I busted my ass off for. Getting the win can be that cherry on high for the trail to greatness.”
Cortez, whose household has been longtime associates of one other westside Phoenix product who made it massive in UFC, Henry Cejudo, calls herself a “proud Valley lady.”
“I like to symbolize Arizona, particularly my house group, Maryvale,” she mentioned. “I simply hope placing AZ on the map, I do know there’s fairly a number of athletes however I do not see anybody actually placing within the effort to indicate that they are from the Valley and rep it as exhausting as I do.”
Methods to watch Tracy Cortez (11-1) vs Rose Namajunas (13-6)
UFC Struggle Night time from Denver airs on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning with preliminary bouts at 4 p.m. Phoenix time. The principle card is about for a 7 p.m. begin.