UFC Fight Night is in Denver on Saturday night, but the main event was almost nixed.
Tracy Cortez was scheduled to fight Rose Namajunas in a women’s flyweight bout, but when she initially weighed in, the scale was not on her side.
The women’s flyweight weight limit is 126 pounds, but the Scottsdale native weighed in roughly half a pound over.
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Tracy Cortez poses on the scale during the UFC weigh-in at the Sheraton Downtown Denver Hotel on July 12, 2024, in Denver, Colorado. (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
With time ticking, and not many options to cut that last bit of weight, she had an epiphany: get the scissors out … literally.
Cortez cut her locks, got back on the scale, and weighed 126 pounds, on the dot.
“What was it, .5 [pounds]?” she told ESPN afterward. “I was like, ‘No hesitation. We’ll do whatever it takes. This is a big opportunity.'”
Opponents Rose Namajunas and Tracy Cortez face off during the UFC weigh-in at the Sheraton Downtown Denver Hotel on July 12, 2024, in Denver, Colorado. (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Namajunas weighed in at 124.75 pounds, ESPN notes.
Cortez originally was not in the main event. Namajunas was actually supposed to face Maycee Barber, but she had to withdraw from the fight due to ongoing health issues.
After losing her very first pro fight, Cortez has rattled off 11 straight victories, but she is currently the underdog against the 12-6 Namajunas, who hails from Milwaukee.
Tracy Cortez poses on the scale during the UFC weigh-in at the Sheraton Downtown Denver Hotel on July 12, 2024, in Denver, Colorado. (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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Rose ranks 11th in the flyweight rankings, with nine of her victories coming via decision. Her lone loss was by submission. Namajunas ranks sixth in the weight class and seventh in the pound-for-pound rankings.
There are six fights on Saturday’s card, two weeks before UFC 304 in England.
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