Fact Check: Was Tracy Cortez holding her chopped-off hair during UFC Denver weigh-ins?
UFC women's flyweight contender Tracy Cortez is set to clash with former two-time women's strawweight queen Rose Namajunas at the upcoming UFC Denver card. The event is set to unfold on July 13 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Cortez commands the power of an 11-fight undefeated streak with five straight victories in the UFC. The Dana White's Contender Series alumni wants to measure her skills against the best names in the division and a fight against Namajunas marks a critical stride in that direction.
Consistent with the norms, the fighters on the card had to endure the grueling weight-cutting process and adhere to the weight regulation protocols. However, it was Cortez's weigh-in videos that garnered significant attention.
With almost half a pound more to shed to weigh in on the flyweight non-title mark, Cortez cut off a fistful of her hair to make the 126-pound limit. While that worked in her favor, the 30-year-old was reduced to tears as she posed for the cameras with the clipped hair in hand.
Check out the weigh-in video below:
Cortez was slated to fight Miranda Maverick at UFC Vegas 95 on August 10. However, Maycee Barber’s withdrawal from the UFC Denver main event paved the way for the No.11-ranked flyweight fighter to step in as a replacement to challenge Namajunas.
Tracy Cortez sheds light on the thought process behind the decision to cut her hair
It's never an easy decision for a fighter to go to great lengths to meet the weight requirement for a fight. The situation becomes even more challenging when a fighter has to endure the process on short notice when filling in as a replacement.
Tracy Cortez went through all these struggles for her fight against Rose Namajunas in the main event of UFC Denver. Cortez was forced to chop down her hair to comply with the non-title fight limit.
There was no hesitation on Cortez's part as she could be heard saying, 'Just f*cking chop it,' while Tiki Ghosn cut her hair. Speaking about the thought process that went behind the decision in an interview with Megan Olivi for ESPN MMA, she said:
"Normally I was ahead of schedule for my original fight and had to push everything. What was it, 0.5 (pounds)? I was like, 'No hesitation. We'll do whatever it takes.' This is a big opportunity and it'll be a shame to miss it by 0.5"
Catch Ortez's comments below: