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Back to the Grind
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UFC Denver blew the roof off Ball Arena last Saturday night (July 13, 2024) in Denver, Colorado, leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Drew Dober, who suffered a third-round technical knockout (TKO) loss at the hands of Jean Silva, to go along with one of the nastiest cuts we have seen in a while (see it again here).

And Da’Mon Blackshear, who was knocked out by Montel Jackson in just 18 seconds (relive it here). But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?

Tracy Cortez.

Coming into her first-ever headlining fight, Cortez didn’t get the chance to prepare to the fullest after agreeing to replace Maycee Barber on two weeks notice. And doing that against someone like former women’s Strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas, isn’t ideal.

Still, Cortez couldn’t pass up the opportunity because a win would have catapulted her into the Top 5 and her championship fight dreams would’ve gotten that much closer. Unfortunately for the up-and-coming contender, she ran into a grizzled veteran who was at the top of her game come fight night.

For 25 minutes, “Thug Rose” had her way with Cortez, dominating the striking department, which was really no surprise to anyone. But after getting dropped in the first round by a solid shot, what perhaps puzzled Cortez moving forward was the fact that Namajunas won the wrestling department, too. Once that happened, it was game over.

In the end, Namajunas won a clear-cut unanimous decision, while Cortez suffered the first loss of her UFC career, snapping her 11-fight win streak, in the process.

“I took it on two weeks’ notice, unprepared, and gave it all I had,” Cortez said after the loss backstage. “I know if I were to have a full camp, prepared – I mean, my cardio was there – I think I would’ve done a lot better with a good game plan. I think I proved myself I can go five fives, you know. (I’m) looking forward to the next one,” she said.

“No excuses. I know it’s kinda hard for me to get up, but yeah. I was pretty upset that she took me down the way she did. I wanna get right back in there,” she said. “You know, last time I [lost], I went on a killer streak and proved myself again. And I’m not here to prove [to] the world. I’m here to prove myself.”

While the loss was a crushing one for the 30-year old, it will be definitely be a learning experience for her. She headlined her first event, missed weight for the first time (but ultimately hit her mark), and went five full rounds against one of the best fighters in women’s MMA history.

One of the bigger lessons she can take from this is what she needs to improve on. Namajunas is as well-rounded as they come, and her championship pedigree was evident in the fight. As far as what could realistically be next for Cortez, a fight against Viviane Araujo seems appropriate.

Araujo was supposed to face Jasmine Jasdavicious at UFC Denver, but had to withdraw due to an injury. She is coming off a loss at the hands of Natalia Silva, so she is need of a win to get some of her confidence back, as well.

For complete UFC Denver results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The Mixed Martial Arts Hour is back in your life! Below is a rundown of Monday’s show, which begins at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. UK time.

1 p.m. ET: Weekend recap discussing everything that happened in combat sports

1:30 p.m. ET: Skye Nicolson drops by in studio to discuss her win over Dyana Vargas and what’s next for her.

2:30 p.m. ET: Julianna Peña stops by in studio to talk about plans for her next fight and more.

3:35 p.m. ET: Rose Namajunas recaps her dominant win over Tracy Cortez at UFC Denver.

4 p.m. ET: Tom Aspinall addresses his upcoming fight against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.

4::30 p.m. ET: The Parlay Boys recap bets from this past weekend, plus more

For latest episodes of The MMA Hour, subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.

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Former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier has once more been urged to make one final Octagon walk in an overdue grudge fight against former promotional star, Nate Diaz – time time from his fellow Lafayette star, former UFC champion, Daniel Cormier.

Poirier, a former interim lightweight champion, headlined UFC 302 back in May most recently, suffering a fifth round submission defeat to pound-for-pound number one, Islam Makhachev in the pair’s undisputed lightweight title fight.

Succumbing to a final frame D’Arce choke submission, Poirier had claimed following his loss to the Russian how he had likely made his final walk to the Octagon, amid continued speculation regarding his future in combat sports.

However, earlier this month, Poirier played up his chances of making a final walk to the Octagon, before last week offering an optimistic outlook, claiming it’s likely he will fight inside the UFC again. 

Dustin Poirier urged to fight Nate Diaz in final UFC walk

And amid links to a slew of fights against the likes of former three-time opponent, Conor McGregor, as well as two-fight rival, Justin Gaethje, Louisiana striker, Poirier has been urged to pursue a grudge fight with the above-mentioned, Diaz once more.

“I think he (Dustin Poirier) should fight and I think he should fight only the big fights,” Daniel Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I think if the Nate Diaz fight is possible, make it happen.”

“There are three guys now that Dustin Poirier spoke about in a week and Dustin Poirier and those three guys are all massive fights,” Cormier explained. “The types of fights that Poirier said he would come back for. Dustin Poirier’s fighting again. It’s just a matter of when and who.”

Initially scheduled to fight Diaz back in 2018 at Madison Square Garden, Poirier and the Stockton native failed to ever share the Octagon, with both parties blaming each other for the bout’s ultimate fall to the wayside.

Would you like to see Dustin Poirier fight Nate Diaz in the future?

LowKickMMA.com

Given how he performed at UFC 303, welterweight contender Michael “Venom” Page says he wouldn’t have wanted his hand raised.

Page had his plans for a quick rise toward an all-English championship showdown with Leon Edwards stalled by Ian Garry at the International Fight Week pay-per-view late last month in Las Vegas.

The pair opened the main card, going the full three-round distance in a fight that left many in the community disappointed and less than satisifed.

That sentiment is shared by Page himself, a former Bellator veteran who was left frustrated with some of the decisions he made when sharing the Octagon with “The Future” at T-Mobile Arena.

Despite that, “MVP” was competitive throughout and even had some backing him to earn the nod on the scorecards. For UFC CEO Dana White, the bout played out in a manner that would have left a draw as a fair result.

Page, however, would have been unhappy to have been given anything but a defeat on the scorecards…

Page Relieved Not To Have Won With UFC 303 Performance

During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani last week, Page looked back on his sophomore display in the UFC, which came four months on from a successful debut at the expense of Kevin Holland in Miami.

The Londoner acknowledged that some thought he did enough (42.5 percent of 372 submitted fan scorecards on MMA Decisions). But Page says he would not have been in a celebratory mood had the three judges cageside seen things the same way.

“It’s nice to hear people kind of rooting for me,” Page said of those who scored the bout in his favor. “But regardless, I didn’t perform well. So if I somehow managed to get the win, I wouldn’t have been happy with that anyway. If it was somehow a draw, I still wouldn’t have been happy with that.

“I focus on me, and I did not perform the way I should have performed. I made so many mistakes; just silly things,” Page continued. “Yeah, so I wouldn’t have been happy with that. For me, I lost the fight. That’s the reality of it, regardless of what everyone’s saying. I should have done X, Y, Z, and I’m just eager to get back in.”

With that, Page will look to emerge victorious with an emphatic performance next time out. And given the extra motivation he’s touting post-UFC 303, he’s seemingly looking to return to winning ways and get his title ambitions back on track before the end of 2024.

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• Read More: 4 Positives & 2 Negatives From UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez

Continue Reading Michael Page ‘Wouldn’t Have Been Happy’ With Being Given Win In Ian Garry Fight At UFC 303: ‘I Did Not Perform’ at MMA News.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Move to 147?
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In a recent hearing, Judge Richard Boulware stated that a proposed settlement didn’t include enough injunctive relief for fighters.

The UFC could still end up going to court over accusations that it used it’s power as a monopsony in the MMA world to illegally underpay fighters for years.

Yes, this is the same antitrust case that’s been winding its way through courts for nearly a decade. It involves two class action lawsuits: Le (representing fighters from 2010 to 2017), and Johnson (representing fighters from 2017 to 2021). Back in March it was announced that a settlement had been reached between UFC and lawyers representing the fighters worth $ 335 million.

Now it sounds like the judge overseeing the case may reject that settlement and force the case to a jury trial.

The issue lays in how the settlement would be split between the two classes: Le fighters would receive six figure payments, while Johnson fighters would receive a flat fee of $ 3000. With no significant changes in the way UFC does business with its fighters, that’s a bitter pill for them.

“It is difficult for me to understand why, if Johnson were settling separately, that class members would agree to this amount of injunctive relief,” Courthouse News Service quoted Judge Boulware as saying.

Boulware noted that current UFC contract stipulations bar fighters from participating in class action lawsuits, meaning a settlement would mean “they give up, more or less, their ability to bring any claim against UFC in the near future.”

So in a strange twist, fighter lawyers may find themselves being forced to go to trial when it’s clear they’d rather accept a settlement and just walk away.

Judge Boulware has said he’d render a decision on the settlement in the next week.

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