The UFC returns to the Mile High City for the first time in more than five years this Saturday with a UFC Fight Night event, but before the headline bout between Rose Namajunas and Tracy Cortez was made official on Friday, there was some drama at the weigh-ins.
Cortez ended up needing to cut off some of her long hair in order to shed the last bit of weight ahead of her flyweight matchup with Namajunas.
The 30-year-old weighed 126.5 pounds on her first attempt, which was a half-pound over the flyweight limit for a non-title fight. She had an additional 35 minutes to shed the final half-pound so she resumed cutting weight and just to be sure, she cut off some of her hair before her second attempt — and it turned out to be the difference.
Cortez officially weighed an even 126 pounds on her second and final attempt. She later posed on the scale while holding the locks of her own hair and holding back tears.
Namajunas, a former champion in the 115-pound strawweight division, stepped on the scale under the limit ahead of the fifth main event of her UFC career and just her third bout in the women’s flyweight division. Namajunas is coming off a win over Amanda Ribas in March.
Namajunas, 32, was originally scheduled to face Maycee Barber in the main event but Barber withdrew from the card late last month and was replaced by Cortez, who had previously been scheduled to face Miranda Maverick on July 20 at the UFC Apex. Cortez accepted the short-notice matchup with Namajunas; it marks her first opportunity to headline a UFC card.
Following the weigh-ins, Cortez posted a backstage video footage of her impromptu haircut and her saying, “Just (expletive) chop it.”
The main event is one of three scheduled women’s flyweight contests on the card.
Canada’s Jasmine Jasudavicius, Cortez’s most recent opponent, stepped on the scale an even 125 pounds ahead of her preliminary matchup with 6-0 UFC newcomer Fatima Kline, who was also 125 pounds Friday morning.
All 24 fighters scheduled to compete Saturday at Ball Arena successfully made weight. Below are the complete weigh-in results for UFC Denver and the projected bout order.
MAIN CARD
— Rose Namajunas (124.75) vs. Tracy Cortez (126)
— Santiago Ponzinibbio (171) vs. Muslim Salikhov (171)
— Drew Dober (155) vs. Jean Silva (155)
— Gabriel Bonfim (171) vs. Ange Loosa (170)
— Julian Erosa (145.5) vs. Christian Rodriguez (145.5)
— Abdul Razak Alhassan (185) vs. Cody Brundage (185.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Joshua Van (125) vs. Charles Johnson (125.5)
— Jasmine Jasudavicius (125) vs. Fatima Kline (125)
— Montel Jackson (135) vs. Da’Mon Blackshear (135)
— Luana Santos (125) vs. Mariya Agapova (125)
— Josh Fremd (186) vs. Andre Petroski (185.5)
— Evan Elder (170) vs. Darrius Flowers (170)