Major changes to main events appear to be par for the course with the UFC these days.
Another headline bout will see a significant change as Maycee Barber is out for her flyweight contest against Rose Namajunas, with Tracy Cortez set to replace her, the UFC confirmed during the UFC 303 broadcast.
Barber was apparently forced to drop out for undisclosed reasons, opening the door for Cortez to step in.
For the 30-year-old American, taking on a former champion will be a major step up in competition. Cortez might be 11-1-0 in her pro MMA career and 6-0 in the UFC but taking on Namajunas will be her biggest challenge yet.
She does have notable wins over the likes of Canadian Jasmine Jasdavicius, Melissa Gatto and Erin Blanchfield, but none stack up to the resume of “Thug” Rose.
Namajunas, a two-time belt holder (albeit in the strawweight division), has been fighting in the UFC for nearly a decade. She enters the matchup as the UFC’s No. 7 pound-for-pound women’s fighter and the sixth-ranked flyweight despite having fought in the weight class just two times.
The 31-year-old made her 125-pound debut in September of 2023 after losing her strawweight title to Carla Esparza five months prior. And although she lost that bout to Manon Fiorot via unanimous decision, Namajunas bounced back and beat Amanda Ribas in similar fashion in March of this year.
With a win, the Milwaukee native could cut down another up-and-comer on her path to another title shot.
Meanwhile, Cortez, currently 11th amongst flyweights would propel herself into true contender status by taking down the UFC veteran. She won’t have to worry about being rusty whilst taking the fight on short notice as Cortez was already in camp preparing to fight Miranda Maverick for a July 20 fight.
Their fight will be the main event for UFC Denver set for July 13 at Ball Arena.