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No. 1 contender fight?
Rising Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight contender Tracy Cortez collides with No. 4-rankedErin Blanchfield on the UFC 322 “Prelims” this weekend (Sat., Nov. 15, 2025) inside the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City — and this one has a built-in storyline.
Cortez and Blanchfield first fought back in 2019 under the Invicta FC banner, where Cortez won a highly controversial split decision. Most fans and media outlets scored the fight for Blanchfield, and the result changed both of their careers — Cortez earned an invite to Contender Series and quickly signed with UFC, while Blanchfield had to grind through three more fights before getting her own call in 2021.
Since Blanchfield got signed in 2021, it seems like every time Cortez competes, everyone always brings up a potential rematch between the two — and for a minute there, it didn’t make sense as Blanchfield rose to the top of the division quickly, while Cortez fought once a year for five years straight, never really making an impact on the division.
Now, the timing finally feels right. Cortez, who UFC has consistently pushed despite her inactivity, believes a win over her longtime rival could be her ticket to a title shot — especially with the Flyweight belt being defended on the same card.
“This is competing for the No. 4 spot, possibly No. 3 — call me crazy, but winning this [fight], I could be a title challenger,” Cortez told UFC.com during media day. “Even saying that it’s, I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but a dream come true. It’s what I worked so hard for, and I’m extremely focused right now.”
“It’s been a journey,” Cortez added. “It has taken me a lot longer than I would have liked, but being here now, and the road getting here — everything happens for a reason. All the setbacks, all the injuries, all the delays…the timing is perfect.”
Ranked No. 8, Cortez enters UFC 322 one fight removed from a one-sided unanimous decision loss to Rose Namajunas, yet remains one of the division’s most popular fighters. And if she can upset Blanchfield — as a +210 underdog — UFC might just grant her the title opportunity she’s been chasing for years.
LIVE! Stream UFC 322 On ESPN+
WELTERWEIGHT SUPER FIGHT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., on Sat., Nov. 15, 2025, with a stacked ESPN+-streamed UFC 322 fight card. In UFC 322’s main event, dominant Russian Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, aims for historic “double-champ” status by challenging Australian knockout specialist and reigning Welterweight kingpin, Jack Della Maddalena, in an explosive title bout that could redefine the 170-pound division. In UFC 322’s co-headliner, women’s Flyweight queenpin, Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko, defends her throne against Strawweight powerhouse, Zhang Weili, who’s also moving up for a shot at two-division glory in a “Champion vs. Champion” showdown packed with elite striking and grappling. All that and SO MUCH MORE!!!Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!
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