Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez squared off in a women’s Flyweight contest earlier tonight (Sat. July 13, 2024) from Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado for UFC Denver. In a clear-cut win, Namajunas picked apart and outwrestled her opponent.
Namajunas controlled the early exchanges with her movement, darting in-and-out to leave Cortez swinging at air. “Thug Rose” cracked Cortez with a couple crisp right hands, and she went to work on the legs as well. A stiff jab back Cortez up then a sneaky left hook floored her! Namajunas let her back up after a brief ground exchange, and she landed another right. The speed difference between the two was massive. Namajunas’ straight punches couldn’t miss, and Cortez didn’t seem to notice them coming. Namajunas began to utilize more shifting punches, and Cortez aimed to time her with counter punches.
It was a dominant start from the former champion.
The dynamic continued into the second, as Namajunas continued to time the better strikes off her movement. That said, Cortez worked herself into the fight a bit more, using clinch attempts to break with strikes. She also landed a brief takedown, her first of the fight, but couldn’t keep Namajunas down for long. For the second continuous round, Namajunas’ movement and boxing kept her in control, and she landed her own takedown in the closing seconds.
Cortez began the third aggressively, so Namajunas answered with another well-timed takedown. “Thug Rose” worked her way into mount, pinning Cortez’s head into the fence. Cortez did well to work back to her feet without taking much damage, but Namajunas forced her down once again and took mount a second time. Namajunas took her back briefly. Cortez returned to her feet with about 40 seconds remaining, but she couldn’t get anything going before the bell. In fact, it was Namajunas who landed a high kick!
15 minutes in, Namajunas was absolutely dominating.
Cortez had a nice moment early in the fourth, storming forward with a flurry and then shaking off a Namajunas’ takedown counter. Once they pulled apart, however, Namajunas went back to touching her up at range. Her favorite trip takedown landed yet again, but she couldn’t keep Cortez down this time. The pace slowed a bit, and Cortez did manage to land a takedown in the final seconds of the round. Even so, there was no doubt that Cortez needed a finish with five minutes remaining.
Cortez swung heavy to start the final frame and actually landed a nice left hook. Namajunas settled her down with some popping jabs, but in general, Cortez enjoyed a better round. Namajunas seemed to be fatiguing, so her counters were fewer and further between. Cortez landed a little more often as a result, but she still couldn’t build into any seriously significant success.
The judges unanimously awarded Namajunas the victory.
This was clearly Namajunas’ best showing yet at 125 lbs. For most of the fight, she fully dictated the pace and location of the fight on the strength of her fluid footwork. She stung Cortez repeatedly with hard shots, including the first-round knockdown, and her wrestling was very much on point too.
The finish didn’t materialize, but otherwise, this felt like vintage “Thug Rose.”
Result: Rose Namajunas defeats Tracy Cortez via unanimous decision
For complete UFC Denver: “Namajunas vs. Cortez” results and play-by-play, click HERE!