UFC Denver Results: Winners And Losers From Namajunas Vs. Cortez Card

Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas cruised to a decision win over Tracy Cortez in front of a sold-out crowd at Ball Arena in Namajunas’ adopted hometown of Denver, Colorado.

The UFC had initially booked Namajunas to face Maycee Barber in the main event of the UFC Denver fight card, but Barber was unable to compete due to health issues. That led to Tracy Cortez, who was training for a July 20 fight at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, stepping up on short notice to face Namajunas.

Cortez, who had never fought in a UFC headliner before, put forth a strong effort but fell short. Cortez lacked the experience to overcome Namajunas’ approach to the fight. She and her team could not come up with the adjustments needed to get by her more savvy foe.

Namajunas was poised and patient throughout the 25-minute contest. She used speed, movement, and selective pressure to score throughout the matchup. The ex-champ was especially effective in scoring with straight punches and also showed a willingness to fight Cortez at her own game, picking up takedowns with relative ease. Namajunas implemented her game plan well, and Cortez’s inability to adjust allowed her to stick to that plan for 25 minutes.

After the win, her second in three fights at 125 pounds, Namajunas called for a title fight. I’m unsure if she’ll get that, considering she was ranked No. 6 in the official UFC women’s flyweight rankings heading into last night’s matchup and that Cortez was No. 11. Namajunas needs a win over a fighter who is ranked higher than her, someone who can pressure her and force her into uncomfortable spots. Cortez was not that opponent.

Below, we look at the UFC Denver results, winners and losers, as well as final official scorecards.

UFC Denver Winners

Rose Namajunas: Rose Namajunas looked very good in picking up a clear unanimous decision win over Tracy Cortez in the main event of last night’s UFC Denver fight card.

Namajunas was patient and poised throughout the 25-minute contest, scoring with straight punches while going five-for-five on takedowns and racking up more than six minutes in control time.

Namajunas’ defense played a significant role in her victory. She used footwork and movement to prevent Cortez from landing many significant strikes, limiting her opponent to a 29 percent landing rate throughout the fight while connecting on 53 percent of her attempted significant strikes.

Namajunas maintained control of every aspect of the fight over the first four rounds. Cortez only managed to gain some ground in the final round when the former 115-pound champion adopted a more defensive strategy.

Namajunas had a good showing on Saturday night.

Muslim Salikhov: Muslim Salikhov’s decision to get to Denver to acclimate to the altitude paid off on Saturday when he picked up a split-decision win over Santiago Ponzinibbio.

Salikhov was more active and accurate in his striking. Outside of the first round, he did not allow Ponzinibbio to control the range and pace of the fight, which went a long way toward getting the judges to see things his way.

Jean Silva: Jean Silva took a chance. After knocking out Charles Jourdain in late June, the 27-year-old moved up to lightweight to face hard-hitting Drew Dober on the main card of UFC Denver. That chance paid off when Silva picked up a third-round TKO win over Dober.

Silva might not have had the power of his opponent, but he had a speed advantage and the ability to counter Dober well.Silva’s spinning techniques and elbows did a lot of damage, leaving Dober with a massive gash over his right eyebrow, which led to the fight being stopped late in the third stanza.

Silva is 3-0 since he joined the UFC with all his wins coming by knockout. Each of those victories has come in 2024.

Gabriel Bonfim: Coming off his first career loss, Gabriel Bonfim had a bounce-back performance in Denver, using his striking skills and ability to get off the mat to pick up a decision win over Ange Loosa.

Loosa’s strategy was to keep Bonfim in close, nullify his striking, and take the fight to the mat. However, Bonfim landed heavy knees in the clinch, stayed off the mat, and used his jab in the third round to keep Loosa at bay. All of which helped him pick up the decision win.

Saturday’s win was the first time Bonfim went the distance as a pro.

Julian Erosa: There was not a lot of defense in the early going of the featherweight battle between Julian Erosa and Christian Rodriguez as both men scored early in the first round, but it was Rodriguez leading the dance with Erosa countering.

However, the momentum of the fight went directly to Erosa’s advantage the minute the competitors hit the ground late in the stanza, with Erosa smoothly taking control and picking up a late guillotine choke submission.

Charles Johnson: Charles Johnson struggled with the aggression and pace of Joshua Van in the first 10 minutes of their flyweight scrap. Perhaps needing a finish to win the fight, Johnson came out fast in the third stanza and picked up a nasty knockout win in the opening moments of the final stanza.

Johnson went 1-3 in 2023 under the UFC banner. He is 3-0 with the promotion in 2024.

Jasmine Jasudavicius: Jasmine Jasudavicius had a lot to lose on Saturday, facing a much-hyped Fatima Kline on short notice. Jasudavicius picked up a unanimous decision win in the flyweight contest.

Jasudavicius only had a one-inch height and reach advantage over her opponent. She made those advantages look more pronounced thanks to her speed, footwork, ability to control range, and getting off first with her strikes. Jasudavicius also found Kline struggled to get off the mat after Jasudavicius got the fight to the ground.

Montel Jackson: Moments after UFC commentator told viewers to watch the punches of Montel Jackson, Jackson uncorked a left that caught Da’Mon Blackshear stepping in, possibly to throw a kick or knee. There was no need for a follow-up strike as Jackson ended the fight 18 seconds into the opening round.

With the win, Jackson is on a five-fight winning streak under the UFC banner. He has not lost since Brett Johns defeated him in 2020. Jackson has only fought once per year since 2022.

Luana Santos: Luana Santos made things look easy on Saturday in picking up a submission win over Mariya Agapova in Denver. She used her striking, judo and ground skills to dominate Agapova.

Santos is 3-0 in the UFC with two stoppage victories, and on a five-fight overall winning streak.