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UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez Recap
By Matt ten-Hoeve
July 15, 2024
UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez had some really fun fights and finishes that ended up being a good night of action for the Denver crowd. Let’s take a look at the results…
Main Card
Rose Namajunas def. Tracy Cortez via unanimous decision (49-46 x2, 48-47)
Muslim Salikhov def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Jean Silva def. Drew Dober via TKO (doctor stoppage) (R3, 1:28)
Gabriel Bonfim def. Ange Loosa via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Julian Erosa def. Christian Rodriguez via submission (guillotine choke) (R1, 4:49)
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage ended in a no-contest (accidental blows to back of the head) (R1, 0:37)
Preliminary Card
Charles Johnson def. Joshua Van via KO (uppercut) (R3, 0:20)
Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Fatima Kline via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Montel Jackson def. Da’Mon Blackshear via KO (punch) (R1, 0:18)
Luana Santos def. Mariya Agapova via submission (rear-naked choke) (R1, 3:27)
Andre Petroski def. Josh Fremd via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Evan Elder def. Darrius Flowers via submission (arm-triangle choke) (R2, 1:46)
The Prelims
As always, the Prelims ended up being pretty fun. Let’s take a look at what stood out to me…
Evan Elder and Luana Santos both got really nice submission finishes against tough opponents. Really impressive.
Andre Petroski got back on track with a clear win over Josh Fremd. Petroski has been someone on my radar since he was on The Ultimate Fighter. I think he has a lot of skills needed to be an MMA success, but he just hasn’t been able to string together enough wins to make a dent in the division.
Montel Jackson had a highlight reel knockout that will be played for years. My lord. Go watch it!
Jasmine Jasudavicius got a really nice win over the undefeated Kline. That zero is now gone and Jasmine has a couple of good wins in a row. She has some strong training partners and coaches, so she is definitely someone to watch as she accumulates more wins.
The Joshua Van bandwagon made its first unexpected stop on its journey. Charles Johnson was, indeed, a tough matchup for him. Joshua seemed to struggle with Charles’ length at times. Johnson was impressive, though, as the KO came from a close up uppercut as Van came in close to cut down on his length. This was an impressive win for Johnson. For Van, he should be back and he now has things he knows he can work on for the future.
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage
This was a rough fight while it lasted. It was even rougher after the stoppage, though. Alhassan was laying down hard blows on Brundage. Unfortunately, some of those blows were deemed illegal, as his elbow was making contact with the back on Cody’s head. The ref stopped the fight to stop the blows and check on Brundage. This was a little scary, as Cody clearly had no idea what was going on. A couple of doctors came in and, in the end, the fight was stopped as a No Contest. While it was cool to see Alhassan on the attack and looking good, I am happy that Cody was protected and the fight was stopped. He definitely needed to be checked on. I hope he recovers quickly.
Julian Erosa vs. Christian Rodriguez
The legend of Christian Rodriguez hit a road bump on Saturday. I told you in my preview - Rodriguez not facing an undefeated opponent was risky! He’s the “Zero Taker,” but Erosa’s zero was taken a long time ago. Erosa did a great job of using his experience and length to get Rodriguez in the perfect position for the submission. Really nice done!
Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa
Bonfim was able to get back on track after his unexpected loss his last time out. He got the win, but I was left wanting a little bit more. No offense to Ange Loosa, but I really thought Bonfim would be able to get a nice finish here to not only get a win, but get people raising their eyebrows. Instead, he just grinded out a clear victory.
Jean Silva vs. Drew Dober
Drew Dober is a tough son of a gun. He was clearly ready to keep fighting despite the absolutely nasty cut right above his eyebrow. It was large and deep. Ugh! Jean Silva did an amazing job of working in elbows to his attack and man…those elbows did DAMAGE! Silva has really won a lot of fans over with his two big wins in the last two weeks. This was a really risky late notice fight to take after fighting just two weeks ago. But wow - he really proved how tough and ready he was.
Muslim Salikhov vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
This was a pretty close fight. Both men came in ready to throw and bang. They did just that. Both men had moments where I thought they were one shot away from getting a KO. Both kept standing. Both kept going. Honestly, it was a tough fight to call. In the end, the split decision was given to Salikhov. However, a lot of fans gave it to Santiago. Really close! It might be worth a rewatch.
Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez
Tracy Cortez put up a great fight in the biggest moment of her career. She showcased that she was a solid replacement for Maycee Barber. I still want to see Barber and Namajunas go at it. However, in the end - I was pleased with the effort of Saturday’s fight. Although Rose controlled most of the fight, Cortez was game the entire time - staying active and trying to work out of what Rose was throwing at her. Rose’s ground game and experience played a huge part in keeping Tracy exactly where Rose wanted her. Tracy was really emotional during the week, wanting to take advantage of the big moment for not just herself, but the memory of her brother. I think she should be proud of what she did, despite the loss. Rose, though, now has a strong case for a title shot. If she ends up getting it, it’s going to be tough to stop her.
My Picks
I ended up going 5-6 with my picks for this card. I am VERY happy that I didn’t bet any money, big or small, on the fights. I would have had a losing effort, for sure. Whew!
Overall, I ended up really enjoying the show. The finishes were awesome and the main event ended up exceeding my expectations, providing a deeper story at the top of the division.
What did you think? Should Rose get a title shot after this win or does she need one more fight to convince you? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I’ll be back later in the week to talk about this week’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter and Saturday’s Fight Night. See you then!
