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Andreas Hill, ESPN
Rose Namajunas used powerful strikes and wrestling to stop a fierce effort from Tracy Cortez and earn a unanimous decision on Saturday night in the main event of UFC Fight Night at a packed Ball Arena in Denver.
The bout was on home turf for the UFC’s No. 6-ranked flyweight Namajunas (14-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC), who has been based in Denver for the past decade, and the former two-time strawweight champion dominated every aspect of the fight against Cortez. The early portions of the fight saw Namajunas use her superior striking to take Cortez down, and she dominated the middle rounds with her wrestling.
With scores of 49-46, 49-46, 48-47, Namajunas earned her second straight win after losing her flyweight debut to Manon Fiorotte in 2023.
“I’m the first UFC champion in Colorado, so I want to bring that belt home,” Namajunas said after the win. “It’s either this or the BMF women’s championship.” [title fight]”.”
With lightweight champion Alexa Grasso set to face Valentina Shevchenko later this year and Fiorent potentially next, Namajunas could be a fight or two away from a title shot. But Thug Rose appears to be finding her feet in a new division and could be back in contention for a title shot sooner rather than later.
Cortez, who was originally scheduled to face Miranda Maverick the following week, accepted the job less than three weeks after Maisie Barber was forced out due to ongoing health issues.
It was a huge step up in competition for Cortez (11-2 in MMA, 5-1 in UFC), and Namajunas showed her that there are levels to the fighting game. Cortez entered as the No. 11-ranked flyweight in the UFC and suffered her first loss since losing her pro debut in 2017.
Namajunas used leg kicks early on and showed her exceptional striking ability, landing a powerful uppercut and multiple right uppercuts in the opening moments of the bout. Namajunas dropped Cortez to the mat with a left uppercut, which knocked out an eyelash. Namajunas followed her to the mat in an attempt to finish the bout, but she backed off, taking the bout back to her feet for the rest of the round.
Cortez made some adjustments in the second round to avoid getting caught by Namajunas due to his superior striking. However, she had difficulty tracking Namajunas and exploiting her wrestling skills. Although Cortez was considered the better wrestler, the tables turned as Namajunas secured a late takedown in the closing seconds of the round, signaling what would happen over the next two rounds.
Feeling the fight was getting out of hand, Cortez pursued the former champion hard, but Namajunas took her down. From there, Namajunas showed exceptional control, denying Cortez a chance to get to her feet for most of the round. When Cortez finally got up, Namajunas landed a front kick to the face at the end of the round.
Namajunas continued to control the fight wherever she decided to take it, pulling Cortez into the ring with her offensive wrestling in the fourth round and finishing the fight with her stunning pedigree dominating the action.