Just when it looked like we had the perfect lineup for UFC Tampa, the Florida card lost a major fight. Set for December 14th, Tracy Cortez was booked to face Miranda Maverick for the second time this year. Cortez was pulled out of the first fight, set for July 20, as she got rescheduled to face Rose Namajunas at UFC Denver back in July. And now when it seemed like fans will finally get to see the two go one-on-one, the fight has now been canceled for a second time.

This time, it is Tracy Cortez who is pulling out of the fight, as it has been reported that she has suffered an injury. The 30-year-old fighter, twelfth in the flyweight ranking, was booked again to fight Maverick right after suffering a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Rose Namajunas, the former 115-pound champion. According to sources, the reason behind it is an undisclosed injury.

However, as per sources, Miranda Maverick is still looking forward to being a part of the UFC Tampa card. The UFC is looking for an opponent, although no replacement has been found as of yet. Maverick is in fine form with a three-fight win streak. Ahead of her booked fight against Cortez, Maverick had defeated the likes of Dione Barbosa, Priscila Cachoeira, and Andrea Lee. But before she could possibly make Cortez her fourth victim, the fight fell through.

But despite this, the Tampa card still looks promising for the fans:

Ian Machado Garry (15-0) vs. Joaquin Buckley (20-6)
Mackenzie Dern (14-5) vs. Amanda Ribas (12-5)
Cub Swanson (29-14) vs. Billy Quarantillo (18-6)
Michael Johnson (23-19) vs. Ottman Azaitar (13-2)
Manel Kape (19-7) vs. Bruno Silva (14-5-2, 1 NC)
Joel Alvarez (21-3) vs. Drakkar Klose (15-2-1)
Adrian Yanez (17-5) vs. Daniel Marcos (16-0, 1 NC)
Davey Grant (15-7) vs. Ramon Taveras (10-2)
Josefine Knutsson (8-0) vs. Piera Rodriguez (9-2)
Navajo Sterling (5-0) vs. Tuco Tokkos (10-4)
Sean Woodson (12-1-1) vs. Fernando Padilla (16-5)

Fans surely would miss seeing Tracy Cortez in action. And the much-awaited clash against Miranda Maverick will likely have to be booked for a third time. However, it is worth noting that Cortez has previously shown recklessness when it came to her well-being inside the Octagon, so some fans surely saw it coming.

Tracy Cortez’s accident with her eyelashes

At UFC Denver, Rose Namajunas captured attention not only for her unanimous decision victory over Tracy Cortez but also for a curious incident that went viral: a punch blew a false eyelash off Cortez’s face during the fight. Julianna Peña, former bantamweight champion, did not miss the opportunity to share her opinion on the matter.

Peña, known for her outspokenness, revealed her personal experience with false eyelashes and expressed why she would never wear them in a fight. According to Peña, false eyelashes can be aesthetically pleasing outside of the octagon, but they pose an unnecessary risk during a fight. The former champion stressed the importance of peripheral vision and concentration in combat, aspects that could be compromised by the use of accessories such as false eyelashes.

She further noted that any distraction, no matter how minimal, can have significant repercussions on performance and combat outcome. “Fake eyelash extensions, so they had to stick on each individual lash. When one of them broke off, it stabbed me in the eyeball, and it was the most excruciating pain I’ve ever had in my life. I never wear them in training, and I’ve never worn fake extensions while I’m fighting for that reason.”

Well, it surely looks like Cortez avoided a major injury in her fight against Namajunas. But the cause of the recent injury still remains unknown. What do you think might’ve happened? Let us know in the comments.