Tracy Cortez finally explains backstory behind viral Paulo Costa photo
Tracy Cortez's picture with Paulo Costa gave rise to wild rumors on social media that were blown out of proportion. Cortez laid the rumors to rest by explaining the story behind her pictures with the UFC middleweight contender.
Cortez endured a challenging period in her personal life during her two-year-long hiatus in 2022-2023, marked by a breakup with her alleged fiancee, Brian Ortega. The split generated a flurry of rumors circulating on social media, attempting to decipher the reasons behind their split.
Adding fuel to these speculations, an X post from Costa with Cortez drew a lot of attention from fight fans. The MMA community speculated on a romantic connection between the two fighters.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Cortez explained the story behind the viral photo. She said:
"[When] I went to Brazil, everybody treated me so well. At that academy, everybody was just so respectful it felt like a family... It was a UFC pay-per-view card and I said, 'Hey, I want to treat everybody with the best food here."
She added:
"I was serving everybody the plate and [Paulo] Costa goes, 'Hey, I didn't know you were managed by Tiki [Ghosn]. Let's send him a picture... Two weeks later I came back to the States and Costa posted that photo. I woke up the next morning, flooded [with messages]."
Cortez further disclosed that Costa and his girlfriend, Tamara Alves, were well aware that their photo would attract considerable attention. Initially, the 30-year-old felt the urge to clarify the story behind the image, but later on, she decided to embrace it and even encouraged fans to join in the fun, sharing a good laugh throughout the entire situation.
Catch Cortez's comments below (15:00):
Fans suspect Paulo Costa might have been forced to post pictures with girlfriend after the Tracy Cortez controversy
MMA fans went berserk when pictures of Paulo Costa shared his picture with Tracy Cortez. Following Cortez and her ex-fiance Brian Ortega's social media altercations in the days that followed, Costa found himself deep into a rumored love triangle.
The Brazilian has been in a relationship with Tamara Alvez and posted a video with her on Instagram. However, MMA fans took to the comments section of the post and suggested that Alvez might have forced the UFC middleweight to post the video amid the ongoing controversy.
See the post below: