UFC Denver: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez continues on the main card with the main event fight in the women's flyweight division between Rose Namajunas and Tracy Cortez. Namajunas is coming off of her first victory in her new weight class in her last fight meanwhile, Cortez is stepping in on short notice on the heels of 11 straight victories as she looks to become victorious in her first UFC main event. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Namajunas-Cortez prediction and pick.
Rose Namajunas (12-6) came off her bizarre title loss to Carla Esparza with an attempt to move up in weight when she took on future title challenger Manon Fiorot whom she lost a relatively close decision against. However, Namajunas was finally able to get into the win column in her new weight class when she defeated Amanda Ribas via unanimous decision in her first flyweight main event. Now, she will be looking to get back onto a winning streak toward a potential title shot when she takes on top prospect Tracy Cortez this weekend in Denver, Colorado.
Tracy Cortez (11-1) was getting ready to face off against Miranda Maverick next week at the UFC Apex but after a planned main event between Rose Namajunas and Maycee Barber fell through she got the call-up for the biggest fight of her career. Cortez will be putting her long winning streak on the line in her first-ever UFC main event when she takes on Rose Namajunas this weekend at UFC Denver.
Here are the UFC Denver Odds, courtesy of BetOnline.
UFC Denver Odds: Rose Namajunas-Tracy Cortez Odds
Rose Namajunas: -205
Tracy Cortez: +175
Over 4.5 rounds: -280
Under 4.5 rounds: +220
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Why Rose Namajunas Will Win
The former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas finally got back into the win column when she was victorious capturing her first win in her new weight class in the flyweight division. She was able to dominate Amanda Ribas throughout the majority of their main event fight en route to a unanimous decision victory. She was originally scheduled to take on Maycee Barber in this spot but Barber had to withdraw due to injury and stepping in to replace her on about two week's notice is Tracy Cortez. Now, Namajunas will be looking to extend her flyweight winning streak to two in a row when she faces off against Cortez on Saturday night.
Rose Namajunas over the years went from a competent grappler and a good striker to elite in both areas. She has fought the who's who in women's MMA and just two fights ago went toe-to-toe with one of the best the women's flyweight division has to offer Manon Fiorot and fought to a close decision. Throughout her journey, she's put fighters like Tracy Cortez who are up-and-coming in their place as they try to make that leap far too soon and that could potentially be proved the same here this weekend.
Namajunas will be the faster and more technical striker on the feet while Cortez will be the one hunting for the big shots and landing the takedowns. In addition to this fight being fought at high elevation where Namajunas trains that gives her a leg up in this matchup as well. If she makes Cortez work in the early portion of this fight she should be able to take over down the stretch and get her second win in the division.
Why Tracy Cortez Will Win
Tracy Cortez rose to fame when she got a shot on the Contender Series back in 2019 when she dominated fellow UFC flyweight Mariya Agapova. She is a perfect 5-0 in her UFC career and will be taking a huge leap up in competition on short notice to obtain the biggest win of her career when she takes on Rose Namajunas this weekend in Denver, Colorado.
Cortez trains out of the renowned Fight Ready MMA with the likes of Henry Cejudo at the helm and she's learned a lot of different tricks to the trade from him during her time there. Her grappling has certainly gotten better and it has helped her develop her striking game as she has been evolving fight after fight. Knowing how well Namajunas moves on the feet, those calf kicks she's learned and now loves will come in handy which in turn will help get her grappling game going.
Cortez is at her best when she's implementing her grappling at will and the way we've seen Namajunas get taken down in previous fights gives Cortez the chance to get ahead early in this fight. If Cortez can maintain her cardio for all five rounds while utilizing her grappling to its fullest extent she could score the huge upset and get the biggest win of her career.
Final Rose Namajunas-Tracy Cortez Prediction & Pick
This is a fantastic main event the UFC put on such short notice between these two surging flyweight contenders. As far as this matchup goes, this seems like it will be too much too soon for Cortez on such short notice. Also, the elevation will play a major factor in this fight giving a massive edge to Namajunas. Ultimately, Namajunas should be the minute winner here as long as she keeps the fight on her feet where she should pick apart Cortez throughout the course of the fight for a decision victory.
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Final Rose Namajunas-Tracy Cortez Prediction & Pick: Rose Namajunas (-205), Over 4.5 Rounds (-280)
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