Tracy Cortez 'grew a ton' from Rose Namajunas loss, excited to show evolution at UFC 317
Tracy Cortez, a contender in the UFC women's flyweight division, feels she's a testament of that and is thankful for her loss to former UFC champion Rose Namajunas in July 2024. Nearly one year later, Cortez (11-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) makes a return this Saturday against veteran Viviane Araujo (13-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) at UFC 317 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
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Cortez, 31, didn't enjoy losing a decision to Namajunas, but did enjoy the evolution that came with it, and she can't wait to show it in her return.
"I was obviously bothered that I lost, but I did feel like I learned a lot from that fight," Cortez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. "I learned a lot. I knew that I had good cardio, I'm well-conditioned, but I had never been in a five rounder. I remember telling my coaches, 'Hey, I can fight another round.' I had a lot more inside of me to give. So I learned a lot from that fight, and above all else, I feel like I grew. I grew a ton as a person and fighter.
"I can be very harsh on myself. I try to be positive, but it's hard because as an athlete who's competing, you never want to lose. I applied everything I learned from my last fight to this camp and I feel 100 percent right now."
Cortez was undefeated in the octagon prior to Namajunas. She was also on an 11-fight winning streak dating back to a lone stumble in her 2017 professional debut. Given her popularity, top 10 ranking in the UFC and record, Cortez doesn't view the short-notice defeat to Namajunas as a significant setback. She said two more wins after Araujo on Saturday, and she's in title contention.
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"I honestly think that after winning this one, maybe one or two fights, I'm ready to fight for the title," Cortez said. "There's obviously a lot of people in front of me who already deserve the title fight, and have been competing for a long time, but all in due time. I know it's close, it's not that far."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 317 Tracy Cortez 'grew a ton' from Rose Namajunas loss
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