Exclusive: Tracy Cortez shares prediction for highly anticipated Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev clash - "Bettering himself every day"
Flyweight contender Tracy Cortez is widely considered to be one of the hottest prospects in the UFC at 125 pounds right now.
The Arizona-based fighter has gone 4-0 in the octagon since arriving in the promotion back in November 2019, and is set to face off with Jasmine Jasudavicius this weekend in her first bout since 2022.
Tracy Cortez is even the only fighter to hold a win over Erin Blanchfield, who is currently ranked at No.2 in the division and is hunting for a title shot.
Recently, the flyweight prospect spoke to Sportskeeda MMA’s Andrew Whitelaw. Amongst other things, the subject of the upcoming middleweight clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa came up.
The two rivals are set to face off in the co-headliner of UFC 294 next month, with the winner widely expected to move directly into contention for the middleweight title.
Cortez had the following to say when asked to pick a winner for the clash:
“Man, Paulo’s been so disciplined...when I was in Brazil, we weren’t even in camp and that man was training two, sometimes three times a day. It was insane. He’s training, he’s bettering himself every day. I gotta go for Costa, you know? I know the guy, I spent so much time out there with all of them, the Pitbull brothers...”
Tracy Cortez's future: Which UFC legend would she like to face?
Tracy Cortez’s UFC career is still in its infancy, as she has only fought on four occasions since arriving in the promotion in 2019.
Despite this, the prospect has climbed to No.14 in the flyweight rankings, and is set to face off with Jasmine Jasudavicius this weekend. Her last bout saw her defeat Melissa Gatto via decision.
While she has fought the entirety of her UFC career at 125 pounds, Cortez recently told Sportskeeda MMA’s Andrew Whitelaw that, if it were possible, she’d love to fight former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
Cortez had the following to say:
“I would really love...moving up in my career, she made waves...Ronda Rousey. I would love to match up with her, a legend.”
Rousey retired from MMA in 2016 and has not returned, although her recent departure from WWE caused rumors of her return to swirl around. Despite this, Dana White recently denied that ‘Rowdy’ was planning a comeback.
Watch Dana White discuss this below.