Tracy Cortez was awarded a UFC contract after a strong decision victory on the Contender Series, and now she’s hoping to make her debut in less than two months.
Las Vegas, NV – Tracy Cortez’s story received a lot of attention ahead of the fight, dedicating her career to her late brother Jose, who introduced her to mixed martial arts. Now his dream of fighting in the UFC lives on through Cortez after a Contender Series victory this week. As expected, Cortez was emotional after her win.
“Just thinking about my mom. That’s it. Every time I think about her, the baby steps I’m taking to move forward in life just bring tears to my eye. I just want to make her proud.”
Cortez got through a durable opponent in Mariya Agapova, who had her in a bit of trouble in the first round before Cortez took over the fight.
“It was good. I knew she had a longer reach. I kind of expected it, nothing caught me off guard. I wasn’t stung, I wasn’t shook, I was very composed. The game plan went just as my coach wanted it so everything went well… on my end.”
There was an extended period of time in the fight in which Cortez had Agapova’s back, but she just could not secure the finish. While that was going on, she did not waver from her goal.
“I wasn’t rushing anything. I was really taking my time. I was just trying to set it with the body to the head, back to the body then the head. She’s tough though, she wouldn’t give. I wasn’t rushing and if it was there, I would get it. If not, then I’m in control.”
A few impressive finishes occurred after the decision victory, but Cortez believed she wouldn’t be overlooked.
“I was like, ‘Man, there are some tough fights going on right now.’ I came and I did what I did. I was hopeful that my technique and being myself impressed Dana.”
While Tracy Cortez does not have a specific opponent in mind for her UFC debut, she does have a date. Coming from a Mexican background, the UFC Mexico City card on September 21 would be special for her.
“It’s honestly up to my coaching. I’m going to have to talk to them. But personally, a big goal of mine is to fight in Mexico City where all my family is from. That’s where everybody is located at. It’s just me and my brothers in the states. So I would love to fight out there and have them support me. That’s a big dream of mine. It is [a quick turnaround] but we ready. Team Cortez.”
Check out the rest of Tracy Cortez’s Contender Series media scrum above.
