Former women’s strawweight champ Rose Namajunas moved up to the 125-pound flyweight division late last year after losing her title in a tough split decision to Carla Esparaza. ‘Thug Rose’ first became champ seven years ago, defeating Hall of Famer Joanna Jedrzejczyk at their UFC 217 clash, and she established herself as a superstar. Her second title win came against reigning strawweight champ Zhang Weili, whom she has defeated twice. However, her move up has not been very productive thus far.

Having lost her divisional debut to top-five-ranked Manon Fiorot, the UFC has given her a lower-ranked opponent this time around. ‘Thug Rose’ will face #11-ranked Tracy Cortez in the main event of the UFC Fight Night clash on July 14 in Denver, Colorado. In this article, we take a look at how much the two fighters will get paid for their headliner.

Tracy Cortez’s payout at UFC Denver

Tracy Cortez started off her martial arts journey after her elder brother, Jose, who wanted to be a UFC fighter, passed away. The 30-year-old started training under her deceased brother’s friends, Angel Cejudo and his younger brother and two-division UFC champ, Henry Cejudo.

The Mexican-American sees her martial arts career as a tribute to her late brother and mother, who passed away a few years after her brother. And perhaps that is why the Contender Series alumni is so dangerous in the octagon, having lost no other fight than her MMA debut bout back in 2017. Now, she is getting ready for perhaps the biggest fight of her career so far.

A win against Namajunas, perhaps the most well-known and beloved female UFC fighter, will not only be a popularity booster, get her a spot in the top-five, and put her in the title picture, but also make her a pretty penny. While there is no information about how much she is getting paid exactly for fighting Namajunas, it is likely to be more than the around $85k ($40k show money plus $40k win bonus plus miscellaneous payments) she earned in her previous outing in the UFC octagon.

Given that she is headlining the card, she will at least get anywhere between $50k to $100k in show money, along with an equal win bonus should she prevail over Namajunas.

What is Rose Namajunas’ fight purse at UFC Denver?

Rose Namajunas is trying to make history and become a two-division UFC champion. ‘Thug Rose’ is currently ranked #6 in the division and has seen a recent skid in her form. Coming off two losses in her last three fights, this main event bout against Cortez is crucial for her place in the 125-pound division. A win will put her on the title ladder, albeit on the lower rungs, with a clear path to the title if she subsequently defeats one or two top-five ranked opponents.

On the other hand, if she loses, Namajunas will be out of the title picture for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, reigning 125-pound champ Alexa Grasso is slated to face former champ Valentina Shevchenko for their much-awaited trilogy bout, especially given the controversial nature in which their last fight played out.

If Namajunas can defeat Cortez, she will find herself very close, no more than one or two steps away from a title shot, as we have already mentioned. And whatever the result of her upcoming fight may be, ‘Thug Rose’ will go home a winner, at least financially. For the main event Cortez fight, Namajunas is likely to get around $250–300k in show money. Since she is headlining the bout, Namajunas will probably see a bump in pay from her paycheck against Manon Fiorot, for which she got a reported $225k in show money alone.

What are your predictions for the bout? Let us know in the comments below.