Tracy Cortez x Stake - UFC 329 Exclusive Pre-Fight Interview
We caught up with Tracy Cortez ahead of her fight on Saturday 11th July, as part of UFC 329 - one of the biggest cards of the year, on International Fight Week.
Tracy will take on Chinese prospect, Wang Cong, as she looks to cement herself as a title challenger in the 125lbs division.
Stake welcomes Tracy to the family, and wishes her best luck this weekend.
Joining the Stake family
Stake is home to so many champions and iconic fighters. What does it mean to you to have joined the team?
I feel so honored. I mean, as you say, the who's who are working with Stake and then for them to consider me and add me a part of the team makes me very proud and honored. I'm very proud of myself and I'm very honored that they would even consider me. I'm really happy. I'm a happy girl.
That's great to hear. What is it about Stake that made you the right fit for them and them the right fit for you?
You just see Stake and a lot of who they work with, and they’re a brand who does great great content. They’re not just a boring brand, and they make an effort to market and entertain. I'm just really happy that I'm part of the team.
Great. So, the fans can expect some content crossover between you and Stake?
100%. Some good content, some funny content, like the one I just posted, too.
UFC 329
This is a massive fight, one of the biggest of the year. Do you think that being put on this card shows the faith that the UFC has in you as one of the biggest star power draws that the women's division has got?
Oh, thank you. Wow. That's how I would consider it. You know, I hold myself to that standard, 100%. I'm number eight if I'm correct. I put myself on that standard, so I show up fight week ready to work.
In terms of how this fight came about, you've said you recently moved over to Mexico City. Had you moved there before you knew this fight was going to happen, or is that a consequence of the move?
So I had moved to Mexico City, and I want to say maybe like a month and a half later, a month later, they asked me if I would want to fight July 11th and International Fight Week, and I was like, whoa, and at the time we still I still had no idea who was on the card. And then the fights started coming out and they started announcing them and I was like, what? Yeah. So, that was pretty cool.
You’re a fighter who has not lost very often in their career. Does it make training camp different when you're coming back from a defeat and you have to go again or is it much of the same?
That's a good question. I would say it's a little different. You know, I'm training with a lot more purpose. Where before I was training and not that I wasn't training hard, but I think being here is just it's just a different level and yeah, coming back from a defeat does make it a little different.
Is that a psychological thing which makes it different?
Yeah. 100%. It's a lot more mental. You know, people, well, based on the messages and what I see in my comments is people are like, "She's on a losing streak." It's like, "Well, no, I'm not." Okay, let's get that straight. But it's one of those things where I think people just see my appearance and assume that I'm not a good fighter. This is like not considering my record. But yeah. After that loss it's become a lot more mental for sure.
Do you think people judge you on appearances, and do you think that makes your job harder as a fighter because people may have this misconception?
It's just one of those things where it's like, well, just because a teacher acts a certain way at school doesn't mean she's going to be, or he is going to be, like a nerd outside of school. Or if they're a banker, they're going to want to count numbers all day every day. People see a fighter and they're just like, "What are you doing out here eating at a restaurant? You should be training." God forbid a girl has a life, you know? God forbid a girl likes to wear lip gloss. People like to put me in a box and I'm just not that. I'm many things. I'm not just a fighter. I'm expanding my career. I'm doing many other things and I don't really care if they judge me for my appearance to be honest.
A win here would definitely cement you as a real contender. Are you planning your route to the belt, or do you just take it as it comes?
I'm definitely planning it out. I'm planning my route to the belt. You know, it's something that’s very important to me. I don't talk smack about my opponents, I’m very respectful, but I do like to just move with actions. So yeah, I have a plan and route, but time will tell.
Your opponent has a lot of strengths. What do you think her main strengths are? What do you think the main holes in her game are that you're going to try and exploit?
Everyone knows she's a great striker, but I think she's a one or two punch striker, so she's either going to throw one hard punch or two hard punches. I personally think I'm faster. I think I throw a lot more volume. And I think my wrestling is going to also change a lot of how people think the fight is going to go and play out.
You've already been in there with the likes of Rose Namajunas for example. Do you think being in there going five fives with a former champ, that's something that your opponent's not done before. Do you think that experience is valuable for you?
100%. I mean, when I say I don't take the loss with Rose too personally, it's because I considered it more as a great experience, a learning experience in my UFC career. It's like I took the fight on two-week notice, and I went into the championship rounds. With a former champion at a high altitude, which I wasn't prepared for. And I mean, I made a striker become a wrestler and she wrestled me. And I think that speaks volumes. And knowing I know if I would have gone in prepared for that fight, it would have gone a lot different.
Out of all the big names in the division, you, Valentina, Grasso, Zhang, now Rose, is Rose the one who you would most want to get back, because it was on two weeks notice and, you know that it could go differently?
100%. I would really want Rose to stay up there. I would love to break the top five and take her spot - respectfully, you know. I would, because I grew up watching her become a strawweight champion. Being able to fight and share the octagon with someone like her, she's going to be a Hall of Famer, you know, so my respect to her, but at the end of the day, we're all aiming for that belt. And I really want that one back, too.
Yeah. Well, you know, I mean, I think she's a tough opponent. I think she deserves it for sure. It was actually losing that fight that really got me, because I knew after if I would have won that fight, I could have possibly been the title challenger, if not one more fight. I would have been there, you know.
You've had some public relationships. Is it difficult to separate or is it difficult when fans take such an interest in your personal life to then separate the fighting from it? Does it become frustrating or irritating or are you able to just compartmentalize?
Yeah, you know, I do a very good job of categorizing everything. People have come out with the craziest things. I mean, the memes that I've seen and it's just like in reality, I've only been in two public relationships and I don't even consider one too public. It was, you know, it was like a post and then a week later it was, you know, done. But it was something mutual. It wasn't anything ugly, but it's been two public relationships. God forbid a girl is doing good in her life, single, and wants to date!
What would a win at UFC 329 do for you?
I'm definitely training extremely hard to make a statement. Extremely hard. I know putting on a great performance in this fight could mean that with two more fights I could be next for that belt. Not just winning but dominating. And I'm going in there to dominate. Like I'm going in there to hurt these girls from here on out. I'm not just going to try to play it safe and, you know, wait till I win a round. Like I'm going to go in there to hurt these girls.
