In the main event of UFC Denver, we are going to see a women’s flyweight showcase featuring a former world champion. Former strawweight champion “Thug” Rose Namajunas (12-6) is making her third appearance in the flyweight division as she takes on the division’s 11th ranked contender Tracy Cortez (11-1).
Worth noting, this was not the original main event. Namajunas was supposed to take on top flyweight contender Maycee Barber, but a couple of weeks ago, Barber had to pull out of the fight. Tracy Cortez was set to take on Miranda Maverick next week at The APEX in Las Vegas, but she got the call to jump up a week and stand across a former champion and headline UFC Denver.
Of course, Cortez leaped at the opportunity. After losing her professional MMA debut, Cortez has won 11 straight fights including going a perfect 5-0 inside the octagon. Cortez earned her shot in the UFC after winning a contract on The Contender Series. In her last fight, Cortez defeated Jasmine Jasudavicius last September which was her first fight in over a year.
She’s going to have a massive test in the former champion tomorrow night. “Thug” Rose became a two-time strawweight champion by knocking out Zhang Weili with a head kick back in 2021. She followed that with winning an immediate rematch to retain the title. However, she then lost her title to Carla Esparza in one of the worst fights you’ll ever see.
Namajunas didn’t know whether or not she’d fight again after that. However, after some time away, she returned to the UFC up a weight class last year when she fought Manon Fiorot at flyweight. She lost that fight but bounced back by defeated Amanda Ribas in March.
UFC Denver Prediction
There are a couple of key factors that are in the favor of Namajunas in this matchup. The first being that Namajunas trains in elevation already and she’s been preparing for this main event for the last few months. Tracy Cortez was planning on a three-round fight in Las Vegas. Cortez came out to Denver a little early to try and get used to the elevation, but she’s going to be behind here.
Cortez has very good takedowns and I think her wrestling is good enough to take down the former UFC champion. I also think that while Namajunas is the cleaner striker with better technique, Cortez’s volume striking could assist her with winning rounds. However, I just am not sure she’ll have the cardio to go all five rounds.
Namajunas cannot be too patient in this matchup. If she fights with a steady level of aggression, she should be able to land the cleaner and bigger strikes throughout because she is the better striker. In the later rounds, she should be able to really up her volume with a tired Tracy Cortez.
That said, if Namajunas is not aggressive and allows Cortez to steal some early rounds with takedowns and volume, this could end up being closer than it should. That said, the UFC Denver main event should go to the former champion. I see Namajunas doing enough to win at least three rounds. I wouldn’t put it by Cortez to make it close, but the pick is Namajunas.
Prediction: Rose Namajunas by Decision