Tracy Cortez had a choice: her hair or her salary?
The 30-year-old had to lose half a pound for her UFC flyweight bout with Rose Namajunas and wasted no time in chopping off her long brunette hair to stay under the 126-pound weight limit on Friday.
“I have no doubts,” Cortez told Sportsnet afterward. “I’m going to do whatever it takes.”
That worked wonders, as she officially weighed in at 126 pounds on Friday. Cortez then posed for the cameras, her cut hair in her hand.
Cortez and her new bob will face Namajunas in the headliner Saturday night in Denver. Namajunas was originally scheduled to fight Maycee Barber, but Barber withdrew due to ongoing health issues.
Cortez poses on the scale during the UFC weigh-in at the Sheraton Downtown Denver Hotel
After getting her hair cut, Cortez posed for the cameras with her chopped locks in her hand
Opponents Rose Namajunas and Tracy Cortez face off at the UFC weigh-in in Denver
Cortez has stepped in as Maycee Barber’s replacement on short notice and will fight in her main event for the first time.
When asked why it was so difficult to make weight, Cortez told Sportsnet, “In the short term… I had to do something extra.”
Cortez is 11-1 in her MMA career with 11 straight wins. However, Namajunas (12-6) is the favorite at -200.
A former strawweight champion, Namajunas (12-6) is attempting to climb the contenders’ rankings in the flyweight division. The 32-year-old is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Amanda Ribas in March after losing his division debut last fall.
While Cortez is on an 11-fight winning streak and enters the fight ranked No. 11 in the flyweight division, Namajunas is a big step forward for the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate.
Namajunas has a significant experience advantage and is understandably the -200 favorite. She has been backed by 72 percent of the money wagered on the fight, while Cortez has drawn 48 percent of the total bets at +165.
The main event starts at 10:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on ESPN.