Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas claimed a dominant decision victory over Tracy Cortez at UFC Denver, then called for a shot at the UFC women’s flyweight title.
Two-time 115-pound champion Namajunas lost her belt to Carla Esparza back in May 2022, and made the decision to move up to 125 pounds as she embarked on a new chapter in her fighting career.
A decision loss to French contender Manon Fiorot got that new chapter off to a stuttering start, but Namajunas bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Amanda Ribas in March.
And on Saturday night in her home state of Colorado, Namajunas added another dominant performance to her resume as she outbattled a game Cortez over the five-round main event duration to earn scores of 49-46, 49-46, 48-47.
“Denver has been so good to me for so many years,” said Namajunas after her victory.
“I had a rough upbringing. And just when I’m here, it’s like I can just kind of breathe, you know? So I thank you guys so much.”
Namajunas started superbly, and dropped Cortez in the first round as she threatened to end the night with a quickfire stoppage victory. But, looking back at that sequence, Namajunas admitted that she might have made a mistake by following Cortez to the mat, rather than getting the stand-up and resuming her striking attack.
“I knew she was gonna be really tough,” she said.
“I think I should have just maybe let her up (after the knockdown) but she was really good at getting her guard and recovering. So yeah, I had a thought that it could have been the end. But I was like, ‘Oh! She’s tough!’.
“I know her wrestling was really good. And I know, she’s really good at getting back up. So I was just I was hesitant to wrestle too much. But I just kept feeling successful there, so I just kept going to it.”
And, after notching her second successive dominant win over ranked flyweight opposition, Namajunas said that she’s ready to challenge for championship gold once again, as she set her sights on the flyweight title currently held by Mexico’s Alexa Grasso. And, if that isn’t in her immediate future, she also floated another suggestion – the introduction of a women’s BMF belt.
“Oh, man! Give me the belt, man! I want it!” he stated.
“I’m Colorado’s first UFC champion, so I want to bring a second one back here. So either that, or maybe a women’s BMF, I don’t know!”
UFC Denver: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Rose Namajunas def. Tracy Cortez via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
- Muslim Salikhov def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jean Silva def. Drew Dober via TKO (doctor stoppage due to cuts) – Round 3, 1:28
- Gabriel Bonfim def. Ange Loosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Julian Erosa def. Christian Rodriguez via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:49
- Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage ruled a no contest (accidental elbows to the back of the head) – Round 1, 0:37
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Charles Johnson def. Joshua Van via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 0:20
- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Fatima Kline via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Montel Jackson def. Da’Mon Blackshear via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:18
- Luana Santos def. Mariya Agapova via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:27
- Andre Petroski def. Josh Fremd via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Evan Elder def. Darrius Flowers via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:46
