UFC Denver: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez - Main card, start time, main event walkouts, and more
Following a one-week layoff, the worldwide leader in mixed martial arts returns for UFC Denver, which takes place inside Ball Arena in Colorado.
On July 13, the UFC will travel to Denver for a fight night featuring 11 bouts. In the main event, number six-ranked women's flyweight Rose Namajunas looks to continue building momentum after defeating Amanda Ribas last time out. To do so, 'Thug Rose' must get through number 11-ranked Tracy Cortez.
Namajunas was originally supposed to fight number four-ranked Maycee Barber. Unfortunately, Barber withdrew from the main event opportunity due to a frightening illness. As a result, Cortez stepped in on short notice and looks to extend her promotional record to 5-0.
According to ESPN, the UFC Denver preliminary card will begin at 4 pm ET / 1 pm PT. Meanwhile, the main card is scheduled for 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT, with the entire event viewable on ESPN/ESPN+.
UFC main event start times vary depending on how long the co-main event lasts. With that said, fans can expect Namajunas and Cortez to step into the Octagon around 9:20-9:30 pm ET / 6:20-6:30 pm PT.
Who else is fighting at UFC Denver besides Rose Namajunas and Tracy Cortez?
In the UFC Denver co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio (11-6 in UFC) looks to return to the win column following a loss against Kevin Holland. Standing in Ponzinibbio's way is Muslim Salikhov, who last fought in February when Randy Brown handed him a second consecutive defeat, pushing his UFC record to 6-4.
Before Ponzinibbio vs Salikov, Drew Dober plans to earn another performance bonus on the July 13 main card. Dober was supposed to fight Mike Davis, who pulled out due to a torn bicep. The lightweight's new opponent is Jean Silva, who fought on June 29 and defeated Charles Jourdain by knockout.
The UFC Denver main card also features Gabriel Bonfim vs Ange Loosa (welterweight), Christian Rodriguez vs Julian Erosa (featherweight), and Cody Brundage vs Abdul Razak Alhassan (middleweight).
The preliminary portion on July 13 includes five fights: Joshua Van vs Charles Johnson (flyweight), Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Fatima Kline (women's flyweight), Luana Santos vs Mariya Agapova (women's flyweight), Montel Jackson vs Da'Mon Blackshear (bantamweight), and Josh Fremd vs Andre Petroski (middleweight).