Flyweight prospect Tracy
Cortez took on Jasmine
Jasudavicius in the prelims at Noche UFC on Saturday night.
Advertisement
While Cortez started strong, landing the seemingly heavier shots in
the opening frame, Jasudavicius bounced back in the second frame
with accurate counters and two late takedowns. Although both
fighters threw with intent in the final round, Cortez appeared to
land the more damaging shots to edge out a hard-fought unanimous
decision win.
During the post-fight
media scrum, the Phoenix native revealed she had received the
unfortunate news of the death of Henry
Cejudo’s sister, Gloria Nelly Cejudo, who
lost a two-year battle with cancer a day before the fight.
Cortez, who has known the Cejudo family for years, hardly had time
to grieve the death of someone she called a “big sister.”
“I was extremely emotional because yesterday I got a call, from,
I’m gonna say my family, because I’ve known them my entire life,”
Cortez said. “That someone really close to my heart had passed
away. So, I had to just be very professional and be very
disciplined and show up.”
Cortez, who has won five straight UFC appearances, dedicated her
latest victory to Cejudo’s sibling.
“She was a big sister,” Cortez said. “She was a big sister and
cancer’s a nasty disease. I just wanna honor her. And I wanted to
perform to the best that I can. And I wanna dedicate this fight to
her.”