Winners And Losers From Namajunas Vs. Cortez Card

Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas cruised to a decision win over Tracy Cortez in front of a sold-out crowd at Ball Arena in Namajunas’ adopted hometown of Denver, Colorado.

The UFC had initially booked Namajunas to face Maycee Barber in the main event of the UFC Denver fight card, but Barber was unable to compete due to health issues. That led to Tracy Cortez, who was training for a July 20 fight at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, stepping up on short notice to face Namajunas.

Cortez, who had never fought in a UFC headliner before, put forth a strong effort but fell short. Cortez lacked the experience to overcome Namajunas’ approach to the fight. She and her team could not come up with the adjustments needed to get by her more savvy foe.

Namajunas was poised and patient throughout the 25-minute contest. She used speed, movement, and selective pressure to score throughout the matchup. The ex-champ was especially effective in scoring with straight punches and also showed a willingness to fight Cortez at her own game, picking up takedowns with relative ease. Namajunas implemented her game plan well, and Cortez’s inability to adjust allowed her to stick to that plan for 25 minutes.

After the win, her second in three fights at 125 pounds, Namajunas called for a title fight. I’m unsure if she’ll get that, considering she was ranked No. 6 in the official UFC women’s flyweight rankings heading into last night’s matchup and that Cortez was No. 11. Namajunas needs a win over a fighter who is ranked higher than her, someone who can pressure her and force her into uncomfortable spots. Cortez was not that opponent.

Below, we look at the UFC Denver results, winners and losers, as well as final official scorecards.

UFC Denver Winners

Rose Namajunas: Rose Namajunas looked very good in picking up a clear unanimous decision win over Tracy Cortez in the main event of last night’s UFC Denver fight card.

Namajunas was patient and poised throughout the 25-minute contest, scoring with straight punches while going five-for-five on takedowns and racking up more than six minutes in control time.

Namajunas’ defense played a significant role in her victory. She used footwork and movement to prevent Cortez from landing many significant strikes, limiting her opponent to a 29 percent landing rate throughout the fight while connecting on 53 percent of her attempted significant strikes.

Namajunas maintained control of every aspect of the fight over the first four rounds. Cortez only managed to gain some ground in the final round when the former 115-pound champion adopted a more defensive strategy.

Namajunas had a good showing on Saturday night.

Muslim Salikhov: Muslim Salikhov’s decision to get to Denver to acclimate to the altitude paid off on Saturday when he picked up a split-decision win over Santiago Ponzinibbio.

Salikhov was more active and accurate in his striking. Outside of the first round, he did not allow Ponzinibbio to control the range and pace of the fight, which went a long way toward getting the judges to see things his way.

Jean Silva: Jean Silva took a chance. After knocking out Charles Jourdain in late June, the 27-year-old moved up to lightweight to face hard-hitting Drew Dober on the main card of UFC Denver. That chance paid off when Silva picked up a third-round TKO win over Dober.

Silva might not have had the power of his opponent, but he had a speed advantage and the ability to counter Dober well.Silva’s spinning techniques and elbows did a lot of damage, leaving Dober with a massive gash over his right eyebrow, which led to the fight being stopped late in the third stanza.

Silva is 3-0 since he joined the UFC with all his wins coming by knockout. Each of those victories has come in 2024.

Gabriel Bonfim: Coming off his first career loss, Gabriel Bonfim had a bounce-back performance in Denver, using his striking skills and ability to get off the mat to pick up a decision win over Ange Loosa.

Loosa’s strategy was to keep Bonfim in close, nullify his striking, and take the fight to the mat. However, Bonfim landed heavy knees in the clinch, stayed off the mat, and used his jab in the third round to keep Loosa at bay. All of which helped him pick up the decision win.

Saturday’s win was the first time Bonfim went the distance as a pro.

Julian Erosa: There was not a lot of defense in the early going of the featherweight battle between Julian Erosa and Christian Rodriguez as both men scored early in the first round, but it was Rodriguez leading the dance with Erosa countering.

However, the momentum of the fight went directly to Erosa’s advantage the minute the competitors hit the ground late in the stanza, with Erosa smoothly taking control and picking up a late guillotine choke submission.

Charles Johnson: Charles Johnson struggled with the aggression and pace of Joshua Van in the first 10 minutes of their flyweight scrap. Perhaps needing a finish to win the fight, Johnson came out fast in the third stanza and picked up a nasty knockout win in the opening moments of the final stanza.

Johnson went 1-3 in 2023 under the UFC banner. He is 3-0 with the promotion in 2024.

Jasmine Jasudavicius: Jasmine Jasudavicius had a lot to lose on Saturday, facing a much-hyped Fatima Kline on short notice. Jasudavicius picked up a unanimous decision win in the flyweight contest.

Jasudavicius only had a one-inch height and reach advantage over her opponent. She made those advantages look more pronounced thanks to her speed, footwork, ability to control range, and getting off first with her strikes. Jasudavicius also found Kline struggled to get off the mat after Jasudavicius got the fight to the ground.

Montel Jackson: Moments after UFC commentator told viewers to watch the punches of Montel Jackson, Jackson uncorked a left that caught Da’Mon Blackshear stepping in, possibly to throw a kick or knee. There was no need for a follow-up strike as Jackson ended the fight 18 seconds into the opening round.

With the win, Jackson is on a five-fight winning streak under the UFC banner. He has not lost since Brett Johns defeated him in 2020. Jackson has only fought once per year since 2022.

Luana Santos: Luana Santos made things look easy on Saturday in picking up a submission win over Mariya Agapova in Denver. She used her striking, judo and ground skills to dominate Agapova.

Santos is 3-0 in the UFC with two stoppage victories, and on a five-fight overall winning streak.

Andre Petroski: Andre Petroski ended a two-fight losing skid on Saturday via his wrestling skills and heavy top game on the mat. Petroski had no problem scoring early takedowns in each round on his way to a decision win over Josh Fremd. Once the fight hit the mat, Petroski patiently looked for openings for submissions while preventing Fremd from finding a way off the ground.

The fight might not have been exciting, but coming into it with two losses, any win is a good win for Petroski, who said after the fight that he didn’t want to take risks against Fremd.

Evan Elder: After a tough start to his UFC career with two losses, Evan Elder is on a two-fight winning streak after submitting Darrius Flowers in the opening fight on the UFC Denver card.

This was a short-notice fight, signed earlier this week, but Elder looked very good in defeating Flowers, who ran out of gas before the end of the first round. Elder showed good fight IQ in taking advantage of a compromised opponent. His striking was active, and he mixed up techniques and targets well.

UFC Denver Losers

Tracy Cortez: Tracy Cortez was a game opponent against Rose Namajunas but lacked the skills and experience to overcome the former UFC strawweight champion.

Cortez and her team could not figure out how to deal with Namajunas’ approach over the 25-minute bout. The loss will be a learning experience for Cortez, who had never fought in a UFC main event before Saturday night.

Santiago Ponzinibbio: In the first round of their UFC Denver co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio did a good job of reducing Muslim Salikhov’s time and space, but he did not stick with that approach in the next two rounds, and that hurt him.

The worry about Ponzinibbio ahead of this fight was that he would be too aggressive and create openings for his opponent’s striking. That didn’t happen, but Ponzinnibio could have been more active in his striking. Had he thrown more, he might have been able to sway the judges.

Ponzinibbio is 1-4 in his past five outings and 2-5 dating back to January 2021.

Drew Dober: Drew Dober might have been on the wrong end of a TKO on Saturday, but his all action style will keep him on the UFC roster for a while. Jean Silva used his speed to put a lot of damage on Dober in Denver, but Dober never stopped moving forward while looking to score with his power.

Ange Loosa: Ange Loosa looked like his game plan against Gabriel Bonfim was to use his jab to set up takedowns and dominate the fight on the mat. That wasn’t a flawed theory, but Loosa could not control the fight on the ground, and his striking didn’t do enough damage to score on the feet. The decision loss ended a three-fight unbeaten streak for Loosa.

Dominick Cruz: UFC commentator Dominick Cruz didn’t say that he thought Cody Brundage was faking his inability to continue after Abdul Razak Alhassan landed illegal blows to the back of his head, but he heavily implied that. Cruz’s opinion on what a fighter is physically feeling is unimportant in a situation like that. Cruz needs to learn when it’s right or wrong to offer his opinion, especially when it comes to a potential head/brain injury.

Joshua Van: Joshua Van had a good 10 minutes against Charles Johnson, using his aggression and power to rack up points on the scorecards. However, Van did not seem prepared to deal with Johnson starting the third stanza looking for a knockout, which he got.

Fatima Kline: A two-division Cage Fury champion, 24-year-old Fatima Kline made her UFC debut on Saturday against the more experienced Jasmine Jasudavicius. The fight was a short-notice one for Kline.

Kline didn’t show any Octagon jitters in the matchup, but she struggled to lead the dance on the feet and had a lot of trouble getting off the mat after Jasudavicius scored takedowns.

Kline showed heart in looking for a stoppage win in the third round when she was down 2-0 on the scorecards, but she could not find the mark.

Kline has only had seven pro fights, and with this one coming on short notice at elevation, it’s hard to get a full grasp on her upside. However, many respected MMA pundits feel she can find success in the UFC. It will be interesting to see what she can do with a full camp against an unranked opponent at 115 pounds instead of 125.

Mariya Agapova: Coming back from nearly two years of inactivity, Agapova did not have much to offer Luana Santos, who easily submitted Agapova in the first round.

With the loss, Agapova fell to 1-4 dating back to August 2020. Her one win during that stretch was an October 2021 submission over Sabina Mazo, who is no longer with the UFC.

Josh Fremd: Josh Fremd looked unprepared for the wrestling skills of Andre Petroski, who averaged 4.32 takedowns per minute heading into this matchup. That lack of takedown defense cost him dearly, as he spent almost the entire fight on his back on the mat.

Darrius Flowers: Darrius Flowers ran out of gas after five minutes in Denver. According to the UFC commentary team, Flowers told his team that he couldn’t breathe after the first round. Not long after that, Evan Elder submitted Flowers.

Flowers did the UFC a favor by accepting this bout during fight week, but with an 0-3 record in the UFC, he might have seen his last UFC action.

Neither

Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage: This short fight ended with a no contest after Cody Brundage was unable to continue after Abdul Razak Alhassan elbowed him to the back of the head.

UFC Denver Full Fight Card

Main Card

Rose Namajunas defeats Tracy Cortez via unanimous decision (49-26, 49-46, 47-48)

Muslim Salikhov defeats Santiago Ponzinibbio via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Jean Silva defeats Drew Dober via TKO at 1:28 of Round 3 (Doctor stoppage due to cut above Dober’s eye)

Gabriel Bonfim defeats Ange Loosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Julian Erosa defeats Christian Rodriguez via submission at 4:49 of Round 1 (Guillotine choke From guard)

Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage ends in a no contest at 0:37 of Round 1 (Accidental elbow to the back of the head)

Preliminary card

Charles Johnson defeats Joshua Van via knockout at 0:20 of Round 3 (Punch to head at distance)

Jasmine Jasudavicius defeats Fatima Kline via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Montel Jackson defeats Da’Mon Blackshear via knockout at 0:18 of Round 1 (Punch to head at distance)

Mariya Agapova defeats Luana Santos via submission at 3:27 of Round 1 (Rear-naked choke)

Andre Petroski defeats Josh Fremd via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Evan Elder defeats Darrius Flowers via submission at 1:46 of Round 2 (Arm triangle from side control)

UFC Denver Fight Night Bonuses

Fight of the Night: Jean Silva vs. Drew Dober

Performance of the Night: Charles Johnson

Performance of the Night: Montel Jackson

UFC Denver Scorecards

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