A difficult loss under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden won’t derail UFC women’s flyweight contender Tracy Cortez’s title aspirations.
A highly-anticipated UFC 322 card took place last Saturday in New York City, and the night saw one new UFC champion crowned when former lightweight king Islam Makhachev successfully moved up in weight and defeated Jack Della Maddalena to win the promotion’s welterweight belt.
Valentina Shevchenko also stifled Weili Zhang’s double-champ bid in the co-main event, and earlier on during the night’s prelims Erin Blanchfield set herself up for a potential title shot against Shevchenko when she submitted Cortez late in the second round.
Tracy Cortez Breaks Silence After UFC 322 Loss
Coming into UFC 322 as the promotion’s #8-ranked women’s flyweight contender, Cortez was looking to take Blanchfield’s #4 spot after previously handing “Cold Blooded” her first loss at Invicta FC 34 back in 2019.
READ MORE: UFC CEO Dana White reflects on legacy of Nurmagomedov family after UFC 322
Cortez had some early success with her striking but appeared to fade a bit as the fight went on before tapping out to a rear naked choke in the second round. The day after the fight, the 31-year-old took to Instagram to both praise Blanchfield and also promise fans that she’d be back soon.
Tracy Cortez’s Instagram post after losing to Erin Blanchfield. | (Instagram)
“I’ve gone through so much worse things in my life. I’m still here & I’m not going anywhere… respect to Blanchfield.”
A short-notice main event against former strawweight queen Rose Namajunas saw Cortez suffer her first UFC loss last year before she rebounded with a win over Viviane Araujo at UFC 317. Blanchfield also experienced her first setback in the UFC against Manon Fiorot in March of last year, but she returned to the win column in her own meeting with Namajunas that took place last November.
Valentina Shevchenko Due For New Title Challenger
The Blanchfield vs. Cortez matchup had some additional intrigue given that the division’s champion was in action later during the UFC 322 co-main event, and it will be interesting to see what’s next for Shevchenko following her latest flyweight title defense.
READ MORE: Madison Square Garden goes insane after UFC 322 main card opens with 16-second KO
A former bantamweight, “Bullet” won the UFC’s vacant flyweight belt in 2018 and went on to defend it seven times before being submitted by Alexa Grasso in a major upset at UFC 285. The two women fought to a draw in their immediate rematch before Shevchenko reclaimed her title in their trilogy bout, and earlier this year she kicked off her second title reign with a unanimous decision against Fiorot.
Valentina Shevchenko (red gloves) reacts after defeating Zhang Weili (not pictured) during UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Fiorot rebounded with an impressive first-round finish of the surging Jasmine Jasudavicious at UFC Vancouver last month, but given how recently she fought Shevchenko it seems likely that the UFC will give the next title shot to either Blanchfield or #3-ranked Natalia Silva.
More MMA Knockout News
• Islam Makhachev matches UFC win streak record & claims second belt at UFC 322
• UFC newcomer upsets undefeated KO artist on 2 days’ notice at UFC 322
• Undefeated UFC phenom stuns UFC 322 crowd with vicious faceplant KO
• Exclusive: Michael Chandler gives optimistic update on Conor McGregor UFC fight
Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.