Tracy Cortez broke down in tears before being called to fight Rose Namajunas, battling major self-doubt: "I was praying"
Tracy Cortez opened up about how her bout against Rose Namajunas materialized and noted that she was going through self-doubts. She agreed to step in on short notice after Maycee Barber was forced to withdraw from her bout against the former UFC strawweight champion.
The Arizona native has been on an impressive run since joining the UFC as she has remained unbeaten inside the octagon. Accepting the fight on short notice is significant as she has put herself in a high-risk-high-reward situation in that a win could have future title implications.
During her appearance on The MMA Hour, the 30-year-old revealed that she was mentally reflecting on her career and UFC trajectory. Cortez mentioned that she was very emotional and credited her strong faith for eventually receiving a phone call regarding the offer to fight Namajunas. She said:
"People might think I'm crazy but I was just in the car crying...and I was praying like, 'If this is for me, show me.' Like, I'm tired. So many things are going on in my life. So many things have gone on in my life, and I had a moment of doubt with my career. And right before I got out the car, that's when I got a call." [2:17 - 2:45]
Check out Tracy Cortez's appearance on The MMA Hour below:
Tracy Cortez describes change of focus in her training camp
Tracy Cortez described how her focus has changed in her training camp as she attempts to make a statement and inch closer to a UFC women's flyweight title shot.
During the aforementioned appearance, the Arizona native mentioned that she has adopted a mentality that she's competing in a title fight rather than just another bout on the card. She said:
"I finally just let go. I said, 'You know what, I'm putting in the work. I'm training as if I'm fighting for the belt. I'm not training as if I'm fighting [on] early prelims.' You know, every camp is mentally, my mind, my heart, my body is preparing for a main event...For a title fight." [3:47 - 4:14]
Check out the promo for Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez below: