Latest news with #Namajunas
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tracy Cortez 'grew a ton' from Rose Namajunas loss, excited to show evolution at UFC 317
Defeat can be painful, but often times, it's a necessary hardship for growth. 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+). Advertisement 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. Advertisement "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
USA Today
26-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Tracy Cortez 'grew a ton' from Rose Namajunas loss, excited to show evolution at UFC 317
Defeat can be painful, but often times, it's a necessary hardship for growth. 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+). 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. "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."
USA Today
16-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Miranda Maverick reveals devastating injury suffered in UFC Atlanta loss to Rose Namajunas
Miranda Maverick reveals devastating injury suffered in UFC Atlanta loss to Rose Namajunas Miranda Maverick had to battle through some major adversity in her competitive loss to Rose Namajunas. Maverick (15-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) dropped a unanimous decision to Namajunas in Saturday's UFC on ESPN 69 co-main event at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Maverick said she tore her ACL at some point in Round 2 – likely during the grappling exchanges when Namajunas (14-7 MMA, 12-6 UFC) took her down around a minute-and-a-half into the round. "Not the result I wanted but I fought with what I had. My ACL was torn in the second round (i'll have to rewatch to know exactly when but I think it was during a takedown exchange)," Maverick wrote on Instagram. "I never got dropped, but I was unstable on my legs so as soon as I got hit in the third round my leg buckled. I'm blessed I was able to make it to the end of the fight and I'm honored that I got to share the cage with the legend @rosenamajunas 🙏🏼😎🇺🇸 i'll take this lay off in stride and you will see me again! But for now time to recover and figure some things out." Namajunas dropped Maverick with a left hook in Round 3, which Maverick said was a result of her injured knee buckling. The loss to Namajunas snapped Maverick's four-fight winning streak.
USA Today
15-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Rose Namajunas eyes Natalia Silva or Alexa Grasso as potential fights to earn title shot
Rose Namajunas eyes Natalia Silva or Alexa Grasso as potential fights to earn title shot Show Caption Hide Caption UFC on ESPN 69: Rose Namajunas post-fight interview UFC on ESPN 69 winner Rose Namajunas talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight after her decision victory over Miranda Maverick in Atlanta. ATLANTA – Rose Namajunas believes she's on the verge of a title shot at 125 pounds, but she wants to truly earn it. Namajunas (14-7 MMA, 12-6 UFC) returned to the win column at UFC on ESPN 69 at State Farm Arena with a clear unanimous decision win in the co-main event over Miranda Maverick. Not only did Namajunas, currently ranked No. 7 by the UFC, fight back in the rankings as Maverick is No. 11, but it was also against someone she has trained with in the past. Next time out, the former strawweight champ wants to face someone to get her in position for a title shot at 125 pounds. "When I was originally looking to get back in there before this fight, I was looking at Viviane (Araujo), but she's matched up with Tracy (Cortez), so not that one," Namajunas said at a post-fight news conference "Anybody. I know I just fought Erin (Blanchfield), so that wouldn't make sense, or maybe it does. I don't know. They probably wouldn't want to do that. I don't know, I have to look and see. There's Natalia (Silva), there's Alexa Grasso. Yeah, I'm kind of blanking right now. I also just fought Manon (Fiorot). Any of those girls. Anybody that's in the top five or whatever, that would be awesome. If something crazy happens and I'm deserving of a title shot, I'd love that as well, but I want to be deserving. So, whatever it takes to get that. Of those names ranked ahead of her, Namajunas expanded more on Silva (19-5-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Grasso (16-5-1 MMA, 8-5-1 UFC). "It would be kind of a full-circle moment," Namajunas said about Grasso. "I remember back when I was in Invicta and she was still coming up, she came up to me and was like, 'Oh, I love you so much! You're such an inspiration!' Now she's became champion in this weight class, and you know. So that would be kind of crazy to see us. Maybe that happens, I don't know." Silva, currently ranked No. 1, may be next up for a title shot against current champ Valentina Shevchenko. Grasso, currently ranked No. 3, is on a two-fight skid, which includes a title loss in a trilogy against Shevchenko and a loss to Silva. Between the two, Namajunas believes Grasso is a better matchup. "I think Alexa Grasso, would probably be stylistically I think a little bit better for me," Namajunas said. "I think Natalia, her speed is very tricky and she sustains it for a very long time. She would be a little bit more of a trickier fight, but I think just with my experience and everything like that – I think either of those girls – and Alexa has the experience as far as the title fights and stuff like that. I would say leaning more towards Alexa be a little bit better of a matchup for me, but Natalia, I think I match up really well with as well. I just have to be very smart and have a good gameplan for her."
USA Today
15-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ESPN 69 takeaways: Ex-champs Usman, Namajunas, Garbrandt emerge in different spots
UFC on ESPN 69 takeaways: Ex-champs Usman, Namajunas, Garbrandt emerge in different spots What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 69 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta? Here are a few post-fight musings … 4. Malcolm Wellmaker is a problem Malcolm Wellmaker is a legitimate bantamweight prospect to watch, and he showed why with a highlight-reel victory over Kris Moutinho to keep his undefeated record intact. Although Wellmaker (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was set up for this kind of moment in his home state of Georgia, it doesn't mean the result was a given. He still had to go out there and do it, and he did so in absolutely spectacular fashion. It was clear that Wellmaker had something special in him when he emphatically earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series. That was back in August, and all he's done in the 10 months since is earn two first-round face plant knockouts in the UFC, both of which got him Performance of the Night honors. Nice start for the 31-year-old. 3. Cody Garbrandt's future Cody Garbrandt fought valiantly against Raoni Barcelos in their bantamweight bout, but ultimately he came out on the wrong end of a unanimous decision and is now 3-7 in his past 10 fights. At this point, it's probably best to understand that Garbrandt (14-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) is who he is. He can beat UFC-level fighters and even be highly competitive with the upper tier on the right night, but anyone expecting him to recapture the magic that saw him become UFC champion in 2016, is probably in for an eternal wait. There was a different level of intrigue coming into this fight when we thought Garbrandt was on the final bout of his UFC contract. However, he revealed at media day that he signed a new multi-fight deal, so unless the UFC re-negs and cuts him, we are going to likely see more of him being a familiar name at 135 pounds and perhaps not much more. 2. Can Rose Namajunas rediscover title glory? Rose Namajunas showed flashes of the brilliance that made her a UFC champion twice over in her win against Miranda Maverick, even if she didn't get the finish. Former two-time strawweight titleholder Namajunas (14-7 MMA, 12-6 UFC) claimed her third victory in five fight since moving up to women's flyweight in September 2023 when she outworked Maverick to a unanimous decision. A third-round knockdown sealed the deal in her favor, and that type of moment showed what "Thug" is truly capable of. Although she is only 32 and has just 20 professional fights, Namajunas has accomplished more than most fighters could dream. She wants to get another title in a second division, but 125-pounds is getting deeper and deeper by the day, and no matter how she tries to transform her body, it seems there are critical moments where her technique is overthrown by stronger and bigger opponents who are cutting more weight from bigger frames. We're not here to put a ceiling on Namajunas, though. In peak form, she can truly beat anyone on the women's side. The question, however, is how many more of those nights are left in her at this point. And she would probably agree with that sentiment. 1. How back is Kamaru Usman really? Kamaru Usman dug himself out of the trenches in a big way in the main event when he overcame naysayers, self-doubt and more to thwart Joaquin Buckley for one of the most critical victories of his career. Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) has been at the pinnacle of the sport that everyone chases for prolonged period of time, but then it all changed in seemingly the blink of an eye for the former long-reigning UFC welterweight champion, who found himself on a three-fight losing skid and as a betting underdog to Buckley, who was eager to take his spot. It wasn't happening on this night, however, because Usman brought Buckley's six-fight winning streak since dropping to 170 pounds to a halt by unanimous decision, and in the process showed he still has life as a contender in his own right. Usman appears to strongly believe he will be fighting for the title next against the winner of Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev. The likes of Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov and more will have something to say about that, but Usman is no doubt in a far better spot than he had been if this went the other way, and no matter what he should be proud to have fended off a member of the new guard when the general expectation was he wouldn't.
