Tracy Cortes (30-USA), ranked 14th in the UFC women’s flyweight division (-57 kg), has won 16 of her 17 mixed martial arts fights since 2013, including as an amateur. Her winning percentage over the last 10 years is over 94%.
The T-Mobile Arena (20,000 capacity) in Paradise, Nevada, USA, will host UFC Fight Night 227 on September 17. Cortes will face Jasmine Jasudavicius (34-Canada).
It’s her fifth straight win since July 2019, even if you narrow it down to the Contender Series and the UFC. “Honestly, I don’t think so,” Cortes agreed when asked by MK Sports during the UFC Fight Night 227 pre-fight video interview, “Are you unhappy with your current ranking of 14th in the women’s flyweight division?
The Contender Series is a talent search organized by UFC President Dana White (54, USA). Cortes made her UFC debut in November 2019 and added one win each in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Cortes is ranked 13th in the UFC’s women’s flyweight division. “I know there’s definitely room for criticism that I should have fought more. Especially if the ranked competitors were active,” she said, adding that while she’s disappointed, she understands the position she’s in.
Her four-fight UFC winning streak is tied for seventh among active women’s flyweights. “The rankings are (graded by others), but at the end of the day, I have to earn it (by performing well),” Cortes said. My goal is to fight more often than I have in the past, not only in 2023, but in 2024.”
Last December, Cortes was scheduled to face No. 11-ranked Amanda Hibas (30-Brazil) in the women’s flyweight division at UFC on ESPN 42, but the fight was canceled due to health concerns. At the time, the average odds at bookmakers were 1.91.
That means she had a 52.4% chance of winning. It was a promising matchup for Cortes, who made his UFC debut at bantamweight (-61 kilograms) and could use his size advantage against Hibas, who moves up to strawweight (-52 kilograms).
“I’d love to fight him again if given the opportunity, and I believe it will happen. I’m sure it will happen,” said Cortes, who hopes to one day defeat Hibas and move up the rankings.
For now, however, the fight in front of him is a tough one. The average bookmaker’s odds for Cortes to defeat Yasudavicius are 1.80, giving him a 55.6 percent chance of winning.
Yasudavicius was not in the official rankings as of the September 13 update, but he is 1-0 in the Contender Series and 3-1 in the UFC since September 2021. Cortes has the same number of career wins and fights, just one less.
Yasudavicius deserves to be included in Cortes’ list of “active UFC fighters. “I don’t mind being underestimated because I’ve dealt with it throughout my career,” Cortes said. I’m looking to improve my record to 5-0 in the UFC and 11-0 as a mixed martial arts professional.” 먹튀검증
The fact that all four of his UFC wins have come by decision is one reason he’s not as highly regarded as he should be. Former UFC bantamweight (-61 kg) and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo, 36, challenged Cortes, a junior in the mixed martial arts training team Fight Ready, to “KO Yasudavicius or get a submission (via armbar or choke)”.
“I want to prove that I’m world class, and the members of Fight Ready believe that I have the ability to finish a fight before it goes to a decision in the UFC,” Cortes explained.
Admitting that “in shocking situations, sometimes I can be too restrained (beyond not being excited),” Cortes added, “I’m focusing on being more aggressive against Yasudavicius.”