
Tracy Cortez not thrilled with dominant UFC 317 win, but knows she's a flyweight contender
Cortez (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) swept the scorecards against Araujo (13-7 MMA, 7-6 UFC) on the prelims at T-Mobile Arena to get back in the win column nearly a year after the first loss of her UFC tenure, which came against ex-strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.
Despite the win, Cortez, who was about a 2-1 betting favorite, said she wasn't happy leaving without a stoppage.
'I'm not too happy. I was trying to finish it within the first round,' Cortez said at her post-fight news conference. 'My coaches were telling me to be patient and let it go when I had that guillotine (choke). 'I wanted a submission … I wanted a finish – but unfortunately, I didn't get it.'
Cortez said she wants to keep climbing up the flyweight ladder now that she's back on the right side of things, and if she can make her way to the promotion's annual Noche UFC celebration event for Mexican Independence Day, she'd like to be part of it.
Check out Cortez's post-fight interview in the video below.

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