Tracy Cortez knows it isn’t over with fellow UFC women’s flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield.
With a win over each other, Cortez (12-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) thinks a trilogy bout with Blanchfield is inevitable. Blanchfield evened out the scoreline this past November with a submission win over Cortez at UFC 322. She avenged a 2019 split decision loss to Cortez under the Invicta FC banner. The scoreline is now 1-1, and with both fighters in their prime, and in the UFC women’s flyweight rankings, a third meeting seems like a likely posibility.
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“We have to, 100 percent,” Cortez told MMA Junkie. “I definitely want that. I want that rematch.”
Cortez isn’t too happy with how things went down in her last fight. She deviated out of the gamplan, and Blanchfield made her pay.
“Honestly, my last fight, it’s one of those things where, all respect to Blanchfield, she won fair and square, but it was one of those things where I made a mistake,” Cortez said. “The game plan wasn’t to wrestle. I don’t know why I shot in for a takedown. I got a little carried away. It was a mistake, and I know we’re going to end up running it back, for sure.”
Cortez looks to get back in her winning ways this Saturday at UFC 329 in Las Vegas. She takes on rising contender Wong Cong. Not long ago, Cortez was unbeaten in the UFC, but today she’s on a 1-2 run with losses to Blanchfield and former UFC champion Rose Namajunas.
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Although her recent record on paper might not be too positive, Cortez remains as confident as ever. She’s certain improvement and evolution has been there despite some of the results.
“If I’m being honest, I really have worked extremely hard on my striking,” Cortez said. “I’ve gone to Brazil and mainly focused on that with the ‘Pitull’ Brothers. I came (to Mexico) and trained extremely hard on my striking. My wrestling is there. My grappling is there. I think people mix up my first loss in the UFC and forget it was a two-week notice against a former world champion, and then I won one and I lost with Blanchfield. Prior to that, if you look at my record, I have, what? Two, three losses total? My pro debut, and these last two. I’m not worried about it.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Tracy Cortez expects eventual trilogy vs. Erin Blanchfield
