UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez Preview and Predictions

Back to where it all began, the UFC returns to Denver, CO this weekend. The city that hosted UFC 1 will host Saturday evening’s UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez. Originally slated to be a showdown between two fighters who call Colorado home, Rose Namajunas was supposed to be taking on Maycee Barber, before Barber was forced to withdraw. In her stead is Tracy Cortez, a prospect with just one loss that came in her professional debut. She has a tough test ahead of her as she throws down with the battle-tested former strawweight champion Namajunas.

In the co-main event, veteran welterweight marauders will meet as Santiago Ponzinibbio takes on Muslim Salikhov. Both men have proven that they have the ability to end fights in an instant as well as outwork opponents for the duration of the contest. Ponzinibbio’s last victory came against Alex Morono via knockout in a fight the Argentine standout was losing until the moment he wasn’t. Salikhov brings a unique striking style with his background in the Chinese kickboxing discipline Wushu Sanda.

Also on the main card is another welterweight showdown as Gabriel Bonfim meets Ange Loosa. Along with his brother, Bonfim is one of the highly touted wave of prospects. He sports a one loss record, which came in his last bout, and will be looking to erase that sour taste from his mouth. Loosa’s last bout ended in a no-contest when an accidental eye poke halted his fight against Bryan Battle. Needless to say both men will be hungry to put on a show as they endeavor to get a statement victory.

UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez airs live in its entirety on ESPN+ and ESPN starting at 7 p.m. ET. Combat Press writers Andrew Sumian and Matt Petela preview the action in this week’s edition of Toe-to-Toe.

Tracy Cortez steps in on short notice to take on former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas in a flyweight bout; can Cortez hold onto her eleven fight winning streak?

Sumian: I’m back, baby. What better way to get back into the groove of things than a stellar women’s flyweight matchup between Rose Namajunas and Tracy Cortez. Make no mistake, Cortez’s UFC run has been impressive, to say the least. The Arizona native is 5-0 since coming off the Contender Series and is riding an 11-fight winning streak since suffering her one and only loss in 2017. Her only problem is that she’s fighting one of the best female fighter’s to step foot into the Octagon.

Namajunas is fantastic, plain and simple. Namajunas’s greatest weakness is her mentality coming into a fight. It is very obvious when she is not on her A-game and allows her own demons to get in the way of pulling off a stunning victory that continuously keeps her at the top of any division she competes in. In her last three fights, the former strawweight champion has gone to battle with Carla Espzarza, Manoin Fioriot and Amanda Ribas. All three of these women are top-tier competition, capable of defeating the best fighters in their respective divisions on any given night. Namajunas was able to bounce back from a two-fight losing streak by defeating Ribas via unanimous decision back in Mar. 2024. Namajunas is a stellar grappler and has improved her striking ability tremendously ever since stepping into the Octagon. She will need to be confident and calculated coming into this fight if she hopes to derail the surging Cortez.

Cortez is certainly on a hot streak, but it comes at the expense of below average to average competition. She is taking on a massive step up in competition this weekend by coming face-to-face with former two-time champion Namajunas. Cortez has the unique ability of being able to outpace her opponents and land just enough to win decisive victories in the majority of her octagon appearances. The key for Cortez will be to stay away from Namajunas’s power and out-pace her to a decision victory.

Cortez is good, and she will likely have a successful stint in the UFC. Bottom line, this comes down to the resume of each woman and what they have faced at this point in their careers. Namajunas will need to come into this fight ready to derail a surging contender and solidify herself as a top tier contender. When it is all said and done, Namajunas will have her hand raised after handing Cortez her first professional loss in the UFC by way of unanimous decision. She is simply still too good to lose to an opponent like Cortez and will likely set herself up for a number-one contender fight once she gets past Cortez, who will prove that she belongs in the conversation for future title contender but is simply flying too close to the sun on this short notice main event scrap.

Petela: Rose Namajunas doesn’t belong in the flyweight division. She shouldn’t be competing at 125 pounds, and that was made clear in her clash with Manon Fiorot. This is a step down in competition for sure, but I still don’t think she will fare well.

Tracy Cortez is just about to enter her prim,e and this will be a huge opportunity for her to shine, and she will get the biggest win of her career. She is in her first main event, and she is taking on a hometown favorite, so the stakes are high, but one of the best things she has going is the short-notice nature of this fight. Cortez hasn’t had all the time to let the nerves bother her through the training camp. Sure, there will be nerves on fight night, but she was already scheduled to fight this month against Miranda Maverick, so she was deep into a training camp and will show up fully prepared. Clear unanimous decision win this weekend for Cortez and probably the last time fans see Rose Namajunas competing at flyweight.

Santiago Ponzinibbio and Muslim Salikhov are both veteran fighters nearing the end of their respective careers; can the two men turn back the hands of time for 15 minutes and deliver an instant classic?

Petela: Nope. This fight earned co-main event status because of the names of the two combatants. They are both past their prime and this fight will illustrate that from start to finish. Both were once dynamic fighters and powerful strikers, but the days of Santiago Ponzinibbio steamrolling Neil Magny, or Muslim Salikhov stopping Andre Fialho with a spinning wheel kick are gone.

It isn’t exactly a fight to be sad about, and it will probably be decently entertaining, but it goes the distance and will serve as notice to both men that it’s getting damn near close to hang up the gloves and call it a career. Ponzinibbio has lost three of his last four, and Salikhov has dropped two straight. As the slightly younger fighter, I give Ponzinibbio the edge in this one, and I think he outworks Salikhov for 15 minutes en route to a unanimous decision win in a somewhat forgettable fight.

Sumian: Solid breakdown by my colleague. Despite agreeing with how this fight will play out in regards to a 15-minute decision, I tend to favor Salikhov in this matchup. Ponzi has certainly flashed throughout his UFC career, but those days are over. The difference here will be the creativity of Salikhov that will allow him to slightly edge the Argentina native in a fairly fun yet non pivotal matchup. Both of these men will likely find themselves either retired or in another organization before the end of the year.

What one fighter’s UFC career is on the ropes at this event?

Sumian: Andre Petroski is getting dangerously close to being cut from the UFC. The former TUF standout has suffered two back-to-back losses by way of knockout and has been rather unimpressive since his victory over Nick Maximov back in 2022. He faces Josh Fremd this coming Saturday and should be the one walking away with a victory if the cards are in his favor. If Petroski were to suffer a third consecutive loss by way of a finish, it could mark the end for the former TUF prodigy.

Petela: Mariya Agapova. She has lost three of her last four bouts and was stopped in all three of those losses. She sits at 2-3 overall in the UFC and both of her wins came against fighters who are no longer on the UFC roster. If she drops this bout against Luana Santos it will likely be her last with the organization.

Which fight is the sleeper match-up on this card?

Petela: Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Fatima Kline. I’m really high on Jasudavicius and think she’s a budding star. Originally slated to take on Viviane Araujo, instead Jasudavicius will welcome Kline to the Octagon. Kline is an undefeated prospect who is well rounded but will face a major step up in competition. It will be interesting to see how she fares on the biggest stage and I expect her to have her moments but in the end it will be too much too soon and Jasudavicius will get her hand raised.

Sumian: It is not unreasonable to say that Drew Dober versus Jean Silva is the best matchup on this entire card. Both of these men are incredibly tough, fun, and have a knack for putting on entertaining fights. It would be shocking if this fight goes the full 15 minutes given how eager both of these men are to finish their opponents. This should be a back and forth brawl with both men’s toughness on full display before somebody shuts the light off halfway into the first round.

Who takes home the “Performance of the Night” honors?

Sumian: Jean Silva. Drew Dober is brutally tough, probably to a fault. However, Jean Silva has shown exactly what he is capable of thus far in his UFC career and will walk away with the biggest victory of his career when he finishes Dober via strikes. This man is on his way to becoming a lightweight contender and a victory over Drew Dober will only get him closer to realizing this goal.

Petela: Gabriel Bonfim. He is coming off of his first professional loss and is going to be hungry to get back on track and he will do so in a big way. He gets a big submission win over Ange Loosa and stops Loosa in the first round. His twelfth submission victory will be more than enough to score him the extra $50K bonus.

Pair this card with…

Petela: The UFC is back in Colorado, where it all began. There are things that are legal in Colorado that aren’t legal elsewhere so I’ll refrain from suggesting anyone partake in that particular extracurricular activity and instead say to pick up a case of Rocky Mountain Spring Water, wait until the mountains turn blue and then enjoy a handful while you watch the event.

Sumian: Spinach artichoke dip and any other appetizer that caters to your cravings. This card is not stacked, but it is significantly better than some of the Apex cards UFC fans have been subjected to in the last couple of months. There should be some fun fights and several finishes to keep people entertained and excited. This card is a perfect appetizer to get people ready for UFC 304, which is the entree we are all looking forward to at the end of July.