Former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas takes on Tracy Cortez in the main event at UFC Fight Night at Ball Arena in Denver on Saturday night (10 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, with prelims at 7 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN+).
Namajunas (12-6), who recently moved up to women's flyweight since losing the strawweight title in May 2022, struggled in her 125-pound debut against top contender Manon Fiorot last September, losing by unanimous decision before bouncing back with an impressive unanimous decision win over Amanda Ribas in March. On the other hand, Cortez (11-1) has put together an impressive 11-fight win streak dating back to November 2017. Most recently, Cortez beat Jasmine Jasudavicius by unanimous decision at Noche UFC last September. Cortez accepted this fight on short notice after Maycee Barber withdrew.
Andreas Hale spoke to former UFC women's featherweight and MMA analyst Megan Anderson, while Brett Okamoto spoke to Syndicate MMA coach John Wood for their perspectives on the UFC main event. ESPN betting expert Ian Parker adds his insights and analysis on the main event and other intriguing bets he likes on the card.
Editor's note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.