"It was definitely hard for me" - When Tracy Cortez explained why she gets "more nervous" watching Brian Ortega fight
Nearly two years ago, Tracy Cortez opened up about struggling to watch Brian Ortega fight while they were dating.
In 2020, UFC featherweight Brian Ortega and UFC women’s flyweight Tracy Cortez officially announced their relationship. The following year, the two fighters decided to get engaged, thus becoming one of the most beloved couples in the MMA community.
By 2022, the couple was reportedly doing well and supporting each other during their respective fighting careers. Cortez voiced her love for Ortega during an interview with Full Mount MMA. When asked about her experience watching ‘T-City’ fight, the Arizona native had this to say:
“Honestly, I almost got more nervous then I do for my fight. I think it goes back to the whole, when I’m in the cage, I’m in control, I know what I’m doing. Watching someone, it’s out of your control, you can’t help them, you can’t be there. It was hard, it was definitely hard. It was something that my heart was pounding out of my chest. I was like, sh*t. I wanted to jump in that f*cking cage so bad.”
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for Brian Ortega and Tracy Cortez. In 2023, they officially broke up and deleted all photos of each other from their social media accounts.
Watch Cortez talk about watching Ortega fight below:
What’s next for Tracy Cortez and Brian Ortega inside the Octagon?
On Saturday night, Brian Ortega ended a year-and-a-half-long layoff when he fought Yair Rodriguez in the UFC Mexico co-main event. Ortega overcame a pre-fight injury and extended layoff to secure a third-round submission win and snap a two-fight losing streak.
Ortega’s recent win has re-validated his top-five ranking in the UFC featherweight rankings. ‘T-City’ will likely fight another top-ranked opponent in a number-one contender matchup unless an opportunity arises for him to challenge the 145-pound champion.
As for Tracy Cortez, she last fought in Sep. 2023, defeating Jasime Jasudavicius by unanimous decision.
Cortez is the number ten-ranked UFC women’s flyweight with a promotional record of 5-0. It’s unclear when and who the 30-year-old will fight next.