The technical brilliance of Rose Namajunas was on full display on Saturday as the two-time former strawweight champion took one step closer toward a possible shot at the 125-pound crown.
Namajunas (13-6) won her second of three bouts since moving up to flyweight and showcased her well-rounded game in a unanimous decision win over late replacement Tracy Cortez (11-2). The main event of a UFC Fight Night card at Ball Arena in Denver, the adopted home of Namajunas, saw the 32-year-old take home judges' scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47.
"Denver has been so good to me for so many years," said Namajunas, who moved to Colorado 10 years ago after being raised in Milwaukee. "I had a rough upbringing but when I'm here, I can just breathe."
Cortez, 30, who was already in training camp for a scheduled fight against Miranda Maverick when she accepted the call to fill in for Maycee Barber on three weeks' notice, needed to cut her own hair on Friday in order to make weight on her second attempt. The native of Phoenix was pieced up on the feet early and routinely taken down by Namajunas, who slowed down in the championship rounds but never relinquished control despite late attempts to rally from Cortez.
The loss snapped an 11-fight win streak for Cortez and dashed her ambitious hopes of cutting the line for a flyweight title shot with an upset win. Namajunas, who won her second straight after losing to Manon Fiorot in her 2023 debut at 125 pounds, likely remains behind Fiorot for the next shot after a rumored title trilogy fight in September between Alexa Grasso and former champion Valentina Shevchenko.
Namajunas relied on her footwork and clinical boxing to outclass Cortez early. "Thug" Rose went on to score a demonstrative knockdown to close Round 1 on a beautiful two-punch combo and simply couldn't miss from then on with her counter right hand.
"I knew she was going to be really tough," Namajunas said. "I think I should have maybe just let her up [after scoring the knockdown] since she was good at getting her guard and recovering. I thought that could have been the end but then I thought, 'Ooh, she tough.'"
Women's BMF? Flyweight gold?
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Cortez opened the subsequent rounds with more volume and aggression only to end up on her back due to timely takedowns from Namajunas. In Round 3, Namajunas advanced to full mount after a takedown but was never able to truly threaten a submission due to Cortez's ability to shake free.
"I knew her wrestling was really good and I knew she was really good at getting back up," Namajunas said. "I was hesitant to wrestle too much but I kept getting so much success there."
The loss was Cortez's first inside the Octagon after recording five straight to open her UFC career.
After the fight, Namajunas talked about her desire for a big fight next.
"Give me the belt, man," Namajunas said. "I want it. Either that, or maybe a women's BMF [title fight], I don't know."
