Tag: UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez

Cody Brundage Reflects On Bo Nickal Defeat At UFC 300 Ahead Of Denver Return: ‘I Didn’t Feel Outclassed’

UFC middleweight Cody Brundage recently opened up about his loss to Bo Nickal at UFC 300. He expressed remorse over not fully capitalizing on the chance to perform at his best in one of the most crucial fights of his career to date. Brundage is poised for his comeback against Abdul Razak Alhassan on the […]

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UFC middleweight Cody Brundage recently opened up about his loss to Bo Nickal at UFC 300. He expressed remorse over not fully capitalizing on the chance to perform at his best in one of the most crucial fights of his career to date.

Brundage is poised for his comeback against Abdul Razak Alhassan on the main card of UFC Fight Night Denver, scheduled for this Saturday at the Ball Arena in Colorado.

Over the past 18 months, the South Carolina native has maintained a highly active schedule, with this weekend’s bout against Alhassan marking his sixth appearance in the Octagon since April 2023.

Brundage has had a challenging run, posting a 2-3 record during this period. His most recent outing was a second-round submission loss to Nickal at the UFC’s milestone event this past April.

The former LOC two-division champion demonstrated remarkable resilience and forced the wrestling specialist to exert extra effort, becoming the first fighter to push his opponent into the second round.

Despite being defeated, Brundage believes he was never completely outshone by Nickal. Instead, he attributes his loss to a few minute mistakes that proved costly…

Brundage Laments Lost Opportunity Against Nickal, Asserts Minor Adjustments Could Have Changed Outcome

During a recent interview with InsideFighting, Brundage pondered his defeat against Nickal and also expressed frustration at not securing a victory at UFC 300, recognizing the lost chance to shine on such a significant stage.

“I mean, it definitely was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Brundage said. “It was cool; it was such a great opportunity. I wish I would have cashed in on it and taken advantage of it.”

The 30-year-old went on to commend Nickal for his impressive performance, admitting that a few critical errors on his part ultimately precipitated his defeat.

“I didn’t feel outclassed when I was in the fight. I just think I got little overzealous. I didn’t keep my composure as well as I probably should have and that led to him having some success, and props to him, you know, he was able to finish the fight.

“I could have represented myself even a little bit better than I (did), but as far as the experience, it was awesome.”

Brundage made his promotional debut at UFC 266 in September 2021, where he suffered a decision loss to Nick Maximov. To date, he has struggled to leave a lasting impression in the UFC, securing only four wins out of his nine fights.

Continue Reading Cody Brundage Reflects On Bo Nickal Defeat At UFC 300 Ahead Of Denver Return: ‘I Didn’t Feel Outclassed’ at MMA News.

UFC Fight Night Denver Headliner Tracy Cortez Envisions ‘Surpassing’ Ronda Rousey: ‘I Say This Humbly…’

Ahead of her main event debut this weekend, UFC women’s flyweight Tracy Cortez has detailed the kind of success she’s envisioning for herself on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. Since losing her professional debut under the Invicta FC banner in 2017, Cortez has experienced nothing but her hand raised inside the cage, winning 11 straight fights […]

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Ahead of her main event debut this weekend, UFC women’s flyweight Tracy Cortez has detailed the kind of success she’s envisioning for herself on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

Since losing her professional debut under the Invicta FC banner in 2017, Cortez has experienced nothing but her hand raised inside the cage, winning 11 straight fights to establish herself as one to watch at 125 pounds.

After adding the name of Erin Blanchfield to her record in 2019 and subsequently securing a victory on Dana White’s Contender Series, Cortez’s winning run has extended with a perfect 5-0 record in the UFC.

Now, the Phoenix native is set for her toughest test to date in the form of Rose Namajunas. With the former two-time strawweight champion left without an opponent for this weekend’s UFC Fight Night main event in Denver following Maycee Barber’s withdrawal, Cortez has stepped up on short notice.

And beyond making the most of the sizable opportunity awaiting her at the Ball Arena on Saturday night, Cortez is foreseeing an ascent to the highest possible step on the women’s MMA ladder…

Cortez Outlines Lofty UFC Ambitions Ahead Of Main Event Debut

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Cortez looked ahead to the shot at title contention that has fallen at her doorstep this weekend in Denver.

In terms of what she hopes to achieve with victories over notable names like “Thug Rose,” the #11-ranked flyweight set her sights on going above and beyond the legacy left behind in the cage by a trailblazer for female MMA.

“You know, I’m very grateful for the way Ronda (Rousey) paved the way for women’s MMA. No one has done it like she has,” Cortez said. “But I say this humbly, I hope to surpass that. She set a goal, and I think us as competitors, we want to keep overstepping these goals and overdoing what our last heroes did.

“I saw the way she moved and (I’m) finessing and tweaking, making it my own and hoping to surpass what she has done,” Cortez added.

Having won all five of her Octagon outings to date and cemented a ranking with her victory over Jasmine Jasudavicius at Noche UFC last September, the next step on Cortez’s journey toward the greatness former bantamweight queen Rousey achieved in the cage is a big one.

To remain perfect in the UFC and notch her first headline triumph, the 30-year-old is tasked with stalling the two-division ambitions of Namajunas.

Continue Reading UFC Fight Night Denver Headliner Tracy Cortez Envisions ‘Surpassing’ Ronda Rousey: ‘I Say This Humbly…’ at MMA News.

UFC 303 Winner Makes Two-Week Turnaround, Faces Drew Dober At UFC Fight Night Denver

UFC lightweight veteran Drew Dober will get the chance to fight close to home after one recent victor stepped in on extremely short-notice to meet him on July 13. Dober, who trains out of Denver, Colorado, was originally added to the lineup for next weekend’s UFC Fight Night in the ”Mile-High City” against the in-form […]

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UFC lightweight veteran Drew Dober will get the chance to fight close to home after one recent victor stepped in on extremely short-notice to meet him on July 13.

Dober, who trains out of Denver, Colorado, was originally added to the lineup for next weekend’s UFC Fight Night in the ”Mile-High City” against the in-form Mike Davis. Last month, however “Beast Boy” suffered a nasty torn bicep in training.

Since then, the 155-pound fan favorite has been awaiting news of a replacement to keep him on the card, which is set to be headlined by former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas inside the Ball Arena.

That came this week, with Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight reporting that Jean Silva will be moving up from featherweight to share the cage with Dober on less than two weeks’ notice.

Silva was in action just this past weekend at UFC 303, where he got the better of Charles Jourdain in brutal fashion. The Brazilian did miss weight, however, so the decision to subsequently accept a lightweight showdown was perhaps to be expected.

Silva Targets Two Wins In Two Weeks At Dober’s Expense

Having already had a strong start to life on MMA’s biggest stage, the July 13 event presents the chance for Silva to significantly increase his stock by recording two victories in just 14 days.

Silva (13-2) followed his success on Dana White’s Contender Series with a first-round knockout off Westin Wilson in his UFC debut. In Jourdain on June 29, “Lord Assassin” thrived against better competition, dropping the Canadian early on before finishing him in round two with a vicious uppercut.

While the weight miss for that contest added an asterisk next to the result, the Brazilian 27-year-old has the chance to go someway toward erasing any memory of his indiscretion on the scale in one of the more high-profile bouts slated to go down in Denver next Saturday night.

Dober (27-13) has long been one of the lightweight division’s perennial entertainers. That was on full display in 2022 when he sat in the rankings off the back of three straight stoppage wins over Terrance McKinney, Rafael Alves, and Bobby Green. Since sleeping “King,” though, Dober has gone 1-2, with a quick finish of Rick Glenn sandwiched between setbacks at the hands of Matt Frevola and Renato Moicano.

With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at the UFC Fight Night in Denver on July 13 are as follows:

Main Card:

  • Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez (women’s flyweight main event)
  • Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Muslim Salikhov (welterweight co-main event)
  • Drew Dober vs. Jean Silva (lightweight)
  • Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa (welterweight)
  • Julian Erosa vs. Christian Rodriguez (featherweight)
  • Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage (middleweight)

Preliminary Card:

  • Viviane Araújo vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (women’s flyweight)
  • Joshua Van vs. Charles Johnson (flyweight)
  • Luana Santos vs. Mariya Agapova (women’s flyweight)
  • Montel Jackson vs. Da’Mon Blackshear (bantamweight)
  • Josh Fremd vs. Andre Petroski (middleweight)
Image: Chris Unger/UFC/Zuffa LLC

Continue Reading UFC 303 Winner Makes Two-Week Turnaround, Faces Drew Dober At UFC Fight Night Denver at MMA News.

UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez Weigh-In Results: Cortez Makes Weight With Haircut

UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez takes place on Saturday, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results! After taking a weekend off post-UFC 303, the promotion is kicking off its July schedule with a return to Denver. The main event comes in the women’s flyweight division, with surging […]

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UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez takes place on Saturday, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results!

After taking a weekend off post-UFC 303, the promotion is kicking off its July schedule with a return to Denver. The main event comes in the women’s flyweight division, with surging prospect Tracy Cortez receiving a major opportunity to climb the ranks against Rose Namajunas.

“Thug Rose,” a former two-time strawweight champion, was originally set to do battle with top five contender Maycee Barber. But with “The Future” out injured, the #11-ranked Cortez has filled in on short notice, looking to extend her undefeated UFC record by adding the biggest scalp to her résumé thus far.

Elsewhere, the likes of welterweight veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio, lightweight fan favorite Drew Dober, and middleweight knockout artist Abdul Razak Alhassan will be among those in action.

UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez Weigh-In Results

UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez takes place on Saturday, July 13, at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. The main card begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, with the preliminary card starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Check out the full weigh-in results below!

Main Card:

  • Women’s flyweight Main Event: Rose Namajunas (124.75lbs) vs. Tracy Cortez (126lbs)
  • Welterweight Co-Main Event: Santiago Ponzinibbio (171lbs) vs. Muslim Salikhov (171lbs)
  • Lightweight: Drew Dober (155lbs) vs. Jean Silva (155lbs)
  • Welterweight: Gabriel Bonfim (171lbs) vs. Ange Loosa (170lbs)
  • Featherweight: Julian Erosa (145.5lbs) vs. Christian Rodriguez (145.5lbs)
  • Middleweight: Abdul Razak Alhassan (185lbs) vs. Cody Brundage (185.5lbs)

Preliminary Card:

  • Flyweight: Joshua Van (125lbs) vs. Charles Johnson (125.5lbs)
  • Women’s Flyweight: Jasmine Jasudavicius (125lbs) vs. Fatima Kline (125lbs)
  • Bantamweight: Montel Jackson (135lbs) vs. Da’Mon Blackshear (135.5lbs)
  • Women’s Flyweight: Luana Santos (125lbs) vs. Mariya Agapova (125lbs)
  • Middleweight: Josh Fremd (186lbs) vs. Andre Petroski (185.5lbs)
  • Welterweight: Evan Elder (170lbs) vs. Darrius Flowers (170lbs)

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‘Rose Looks Like Mayweather In There’ – Fighters & Fans React To Rose Namajunas Cruising To Decision Win Over Tracy Cortez At UFC Fight Night Denver

Rose Namajunas looked to continue her path toward a title shot in a second weight class, and she accomplished that with a win over Tracy Cortez in the main event of UFC Fight Night Denver. Namajunas got off to a strong start nearly right away, dropping Cortez with a jab a couple of minutes into […]

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Rose Namajunas looked to continue her path toward a title shot in a second weight class, and she accomplished that with a win over Tracy Cortez in the main event of UFC Fight Night Denver.

Namajunas got off to a strong start nearly right away, dropping Cortez with a jab a couple of minutes into the fight. The former two-time strawweight champion seemed to be landing at will, and that trend continued as the fight entered the second round.

Midway through the frame, however, Cortez looked to take Namajunas down and secure a choke. “Thug Rose” worked her way through the grappling, however, battling with her own wrestling before returning to her fairly dominant striking performance.

The veteran seemed to have an all-around dominant showing in the third round, grinding out with a takedown and her own unsuccessful choke attempt. Meanwhile, on the feet, the ex-strawweight kept her distance, keeping herself out of Cortez’s range as she continued to fire off.

Namajunas continued this throughout the fourth round. Her late-notice replacement opponent brought pressure in the fifth round, but at that point Namajunas was in cruise control and Cortez was unable to get the finish.

Namajunas won a unanimous decision, with two 49-46 cards and a 48-47.

Fans React As Rose Namajunas Takes Clear-Cut Decision Win In UFC Fight Night Denver Main Event

Namajunas is now 2-1 since moving up to flyweight. The former strawweight champion defeated Amanda Ribas in March following a debut defeat in the division to Manon Fiorot last September in Paris.

Cortez, who took this main event bout on short notice, sees a 10-fight win streak snapped.

Continue Reading ‘Rose Looks Like Mayweather In There’ – Fighters & Fans React To Rose Namajunas Cruising To Decision Win Over Tracy Cortez At UFC Fight Night Denver at MMA News.

Rose Namajunas Outlines ‘Dream’ Scenario For Future Fight After Win Over Tracy Cortez: ‘I Had This Vision…’

Rose Namajunas looked arguably the best she has ever looked at flyweight in the main event of UFC Fight Night Denver, taking a clear unanimous decision win over Tracy Cortez. Namajunas dropped Cortez, who took this fight on short notice, in the opening minutes of the fight. The former two-time strawweight champion subsequently put on […]

Continue Reading Rose Namajunas Outlines ‘Dream’ Scenario For Future Fight After Win Over Tracy Cortez: ‘I Had This Vision…’ at MMA News.

Rose Namajunas looked arguably the best she has ever looked at flyweight in the main event of UFC Fight Night Denver, taking a clear unanimous decision win over Tracy Cortez.

Namajunas dropped Cortez, who took this fight on short notice, in the opening minutes of the fight. The former two-time strawweight champion subsequently put on a striking clinic, keeping her distance and landing on her opponent whichever way possible.

Cortez battled back with her grappling, but Namajunas answered with her own skills. The #11-ranked contender tried to mount a lot of offense in the fifth round, but by then it was too late.

Though she can always pinpoint things in her performance to nitpick, Namajunas told the crew on ESPN’s UFC Post Show that she was satisfied with how she did in the cage.

“I felt really happy with myself, but…Tracy’s really tough,” Namajunas said. “She definitely was durable. Even though I dropped her in the beginning, I knew I probably should have jumped on her right away because I let her recover a little bit.

“Ultimately, I just felt I was better,” Namajunas added.

Rose Namajunas Hopes To Bring The UFC To Lithuania

Namajunas moved up to flyweight in late 2023, about a year-and-a-half removed from losing the UFC strawweight title to Carla Esparza at UFC 274. “Thug Rose” fell to defeat in her 125-pound debut against Manon Fiorot but has now won back-to-back fights. Prior to Saturday’s win, she beat Amanda Ribas in a March Fight Night main event.

The former 115-pound champ entered this fight at No. 6 in the flyweight rankings. Positioned above her are champion Alexa Grasso, former champion and upcoming title challenger Valentina Shevchenko, Fiorot, Erin Blanchfield, Maycee Barber, and former strawweight champion and flyweight title challenger Jéssica Andrade.

Namajunas feels ready for a crack at the gold now, though she expressed interest in trying to get a win back over Fiorot. Be it a rematch with the Frenchwoman or title shot, Namajunas has an idea for an interesting location she would love to see the UFC host a card: Lithuania.

“I had this vision…I want to fight in Lithuania one day, bring the UFC to Lithuania if that could even be possible,” Namajunas said. “I would love to rematch Manon or [face] anybody for the belt, whatever. That’s my dream come true, but anything the UFC has in mind, I’m cool with.”

Lithuania is the home country of Namajunas’ parents. The UFC is yet to stage an event in the European nation.

Continue Reading Rose Namajunas Outlines ‘Dream’ Scenario For Future Fight After Win Over Tracy Cortez: ‘I Had This Vision…’ at MMA News.