The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Denver, Colorado with UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez will take place at the Ball Arena. In the main event, former two-time women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas takes on Tracy Cortez in an All-American fighting contest.
Also on the card, Argentina’s Santiago Ponzinibbio squares off against Muslim Salikhov at welterweight. Switzerland’s Ange Loosa will face Brazil’s Gabriel Bonfim at welterweight. Also, Julian Erosa meets fellow American Christian Rodriguez at featherweight.
Event: UFC Denver: “Namajunas vs. Cortez”
Date: Sat., July 13, 2024
Location: Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado
Start times: 10 p.m. ET (Main Card) and Prelims at 7 p.m. ET
Broadcast: ESPN/ESPN+
Rose Namajunas has found a new home at flyweight. The former two-time UFC strawweight champion faces one of the division’s rising stars, Tracy Cortez, on July 13 at UFC Denver. The fight airs on ESPN+.
“Thug” Rose lost strawweight gold to Carla Esparza in May 2022 in an upset affair and soon moved up to flyweight. He is 1-1 in the division and wants to move up in the rankings and fight for more gold.
“It would be great to be a two-division champion this year,” Namajunas said in March, via MMA Junkie. “I know it’s a very steep mountain to climb, and I know I’ve had some setbacks, and I have to be realistic, but I believe it’s very realistic. Insha’Allah, it will happen.”
Cortez replaces Messi Barber, who has been sidelined due to health issues. Tracy Cortez is ranked eleventh in the flyweight division and is on an eleven-fight winning streak. She was scheduled to fight Maverick on July 20. Instead, Cortez will have a huge step up on the competition.
UFC Denver fight cards
- Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez; women’s flyweight
- Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Muslim Salikhov; welterweight
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa; welterweight
- Julian Erosa vs. Christian Rodriguez; featherweight
- Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage; middleweight
- Luana Santos vs. Mariya Agapova; women’s flyweight
- Josh Fremd vs. Andre Petroski; middleweight
- Nazim Sadykhov vs. TBA; lightweight
- Drew Dober vs. Jean Silva; lightweight
- Montel Jackson vs. Da’Mon Blackshear; bantamweight
- Joshua Van vs. Charles Johnson; flyweight
- Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Fatima Kline; women’s flyweight