Tracy Cortez (born December 10, 1993) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competes in the

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of b ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. As of March 7, 2023, she is #14 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings.

Background

Of Mexican descent, Cortez was born in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, United States, and grew up in a household of Mexican immigrants. She has three brothers, Jose Cortez, J.R. Cortez and Abraham Cortez. At the age of 14, she started training MMA after she watched her first MMA match where her oldest brother Jose, whose dream was to be a UFC fighter, fought against former UFC veteran

Drew Fickett Andrew Robert Fickett (born December 14, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1999, Fickett has also formerly competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, DREAM, Cage Rage, t ...

in November 2008. He won the fight via split decision. Jose stopped competing after the match with Fickett as he started to show cardiovascular problems and was later diagnosed with germ cell cancer. He passed away from the cancer in 2011. Cortez got a tattoo in remembrance of her brother on her arm. She struggled through depression after her brother's passing but managed to get back on track with the help of her family and

Henry Cejudo Henry Cejudo (born February 9, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. He is the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight Champion and Bantamweight Champion. He is the fourth UFC fighter to h ...

and Angel Cejudo, who are the best friends of her oldest brother Jose.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Cortez fought under World Fighting Federation and KOTC in her amateur career and amassed a record of 3–0 prior to being signed by

Invicta Fighting Championships Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is currentl ...

Invicta Fighting Championships and other promotions

Cortez made her Invicta debut on August 31, 2017, against Cheri Muraski at Invicta FC 25: Kunitskaya vs. Pa'aluhi. She lost the fight via submission in round two. She return to World Fighting in November 2017 fought against Roxanne Ceasear and secured a win via unanimous decision. Her next fight came on March 24, 2018, facing Kaytlin Neil at Invicta FC 28: Mizuki vs. Jandiroba. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Cortez went on to face Monica Median and Karen Cedillo in 2018 at V3 Fight Night 69 and Combate Americas: Alday vs. Lopez respectively and she won both of the fights. On February 15, 2019, Cortez faced

Erin Blanchfield Erin Blanchfield (born May 4, 1999) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is a former Eddie Bravo Invitational champion. As of August 29, 2023, she is #2 ...

at Invicta FC 34: Porto vs. Gonzalez. She won the fight via split decision.

Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series

Cortez appeared in DWTNCS: Season 3, Episode 6 web-series program on July 30, 2019, facing

Mariya Agapova Mariya Agapova (born April 7, 1997) is a Kazakhstani mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Agapova started training martial arts around the age of eight in o ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision and was signed by UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Cortez was expected to make her promotional debut against Duda Santana in a bantamweight bout on November 16, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 22. However, in October 27, it was reported that Santana was forced to withdraw from the fight due to family issues and she was replaced by

Vanessa Melo Vanessa De Melo Silva (born March 27, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). She is most known for her time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (U ...

. At the weigh-ins, Cortez and Melo both missed weight for their fight, both weighing in at 136.5 pounds, 0.5 pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit of 136. The bout was initially proceeded at a catchweight and no fine was issued due to identical misses. However, later on the same day, Brazil's athletic commission (CABMMA) executive director Cristiano Sampaio announced that due to an error of the scale used at the weight-ins was set was 0.7 pounds above the official scale and thus both fighters were officially clear from missing weight and the bout proceeded at bantamweight. Cortez won the bout by unanimous decision. Cortez was expected to face

Bea Malecki Bea Malecki (born August 23, 1991) is a Swedish mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. A professional since 2017, she is most notable for her time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Malecki's parents ...

on October 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 179. However, on October 2, 2020, it was announced that Malecki was replaced by a newcomer Stephanie Egger for undisclosed reason. Cortez won the fight via unanimous decision. Cortez faced

Justine Kish Svetlana Nasibulina (born 13 April 1988), known professionally by her ring name Justine Kish, is an American mixed martial artist that competes in the Flyweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional since 2010, she has also competed in the Ult ...

on April 17, 2021, at

UFC on ESPN 22 ''UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 22'' and ''UFC Vegas 24'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 17, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterpr ...

. At the weigh-ins, Cortez came in at 126.5 pounds, a half pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit. Her bout proceeded at catchweight and she was fined 20% of her individual purse, which went to her opponent Kish. Cortez won the fight via a split decision. Cortez was scheduled to face

JJ Aldrich JJ Aldrich (born September 29, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. She is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and has fought for Invicta FC. Background Aldrich was born to a ho ...

on August 28, 2021, at

UFC on ESPN 30 ''UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 30'' and ''UFC Vegas 35'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 28, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterpri ...

. However, Cortez was pulled from the fight due to injury, and she was replaced by Vanessa Demopoulos. Cortez faced Melissa Gatto on May 7, 2022 at

UFC 274 ''UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 7, 2022, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Background The event was originally link ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Cortez was scheduled to face

Amanda Ribas Amanda Ribas (born August 26, 1993) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Strawweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 15, 2022, she is #9 in the UFC women's strawweight ...

on December 3, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 42 ''UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 42'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 3, 2022, at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, United States. Backg ...

. However, shortly after the official weigh-ins, the promotion announced Cortez was pulled from the bout due to an unspecified medical issue and the bout was cancelled.

Personal life

Cortez used to be engaged to fellow UFC fighter

Brian Ortega Brian Ortega (born February 21, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2010, Ortega has also competed in the R ...

Mixed martial arts record

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, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Stephanie Egger , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Jacaré , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Dana White's Contender Series 22 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 ,

, Decision (split) , Invicta FC 34: Porto vs. Gonzalez , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Kansas City, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Karen Cedillo , TKO (punches) , Combate Americas 24: Alday vs. Lopez , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:53 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Monica Medina , Submission (rear-naked choke) , V3 Fights 69 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:27 ,

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Kaytlin Neil , Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 28: Mizuki vs. Jandiroba , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Roxanne Ceasear , Decision (unanimous) , World Fighting Federation 36 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Cheri Muraski , Submission (guillotine choke) , Invicta FC 25: Kunitskaya vs. Pa'aluhi , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:42 , Lemoore, California, United States , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cortez, Tracy Living people 1993 births American female mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters Sportspeople from Phoenix, Arizona Mixed martial artists from Arizona American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent 21st-century American women