The former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas had just registered her first flyweight win in March and now, she’s in for a tough competition against Tracy Cortez at UFC on ESPN 59 this weekend. Meanwhile, it’s the first main event for the latter since joining the UFC in 2019. As we inch closer to the fight with each passing day, let’s take a look at Namajunas’ record in comparison to Cortez’s MMA record.

Tracy Cortez has been on a roll ever since she joined the UFC. Even though certain personal problems have taken center stage in recent times, she’s been successful in maintaining her position in the flyweight division. But we can’t have an idea of how the fight’s going to be against Rose Namajunas if we don’t look at the stats, which, in more ways than one, has Cortez coming off as a slight favorite.

Comparing Rose Namajunas and Tracy Cortez’s head-to-head record

The odds for the main event in Denver have Rose Namajunas, 32, as the favorite to beat Tracy Cortez, 30, and it’s surprising. No taking anything away from ‘Thug Rose’, who’s captured championship gold twice, but when we compare her record to Cortez’s, it appears that the latter has a higher win percentage even though she lacks experience compared to Namajunas.

Tracy Cortez has a record of 11 wins and 1 loss, putting her winning percentage at 91.6 percent. As for Rose Namajunas, her record stands at 13 wins and 6 losses, with a win percentage of 68.4 percent. However, the former 2-time champion does have her advantages, especially in striking, as her accuracy stands at 63 percent compared to Cortez, whose stat stands at 60 percent.

However, Cortez also packs a strong ground game, both in offense and defense. Her takedown defense stands at 75 percent, which could prove to be an asset for her should Rose Namajunas find striking her a bit too hard. But what about finishes? Let’s dive into that as well.

Namajunas vs Cortez: Who has more finishes?

About 81.8 percent of wins that Tracy Cortez has earned have come off decisions. Meanwhile, she has only two finishes, one by submission against Monica Medina at V3 Fights 69, and one by knockout against Karen Cedillo at Combate Americas 24. This means that she’s yet to earn a finish in the UFC. This is a tidbit different for the former two-time 115-pound champion, Rose Namajunas.

‘Thug Rose’ has a career total of 7 finishes, which includes 5 wins by submission and 2 wins by knockouts. Only two of those seven finishes have come in fights, not under the UFC banner. Namajunas has finished the likes of Zhang Weili, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Michelle Waterson-Gomez, just to name a few. These stats prove that, despite the recent dip in form, Rose Namajunas could make the same impact as a 125-er as she did as a 115-er.

Will these stats be enough to make a case for her to win against Tracy Cortez? Only time will tell. Rose Namajunas recently mentioned eyeing a run with a second UFC champion. With an undefeated UFC record, Tracy Cortez poses a tough challenge for the former champion, at last on paper. But can Namajunas further her dreams of becoming a two-division champion? That remains to be seen.