Miranda Maverick dismisses Tracy Cortez ‘making every excuse’ for Rose Namajunas defeat

LAS VEGAS – Miranda Maverick doesn’t want to hear Tracy Cortez’s excuses.

The pair were originally scheduled to face off inside the Octagon at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 60 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. However, a late lineup change resulted in Cortez being called up to compete a week early against Rose Namajunas in the UFC on ESPN 59 headliner in Denver.

Maverick (13-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) maintained his place at the Las Vegas event and now faces Dione Barbosa.

Cortez lost the fight against Namajunas via unanimous decision, suffering his first defeat in the UFC. A late change could be a difficult challenge, especially against a former champion like Namajunas, but Maverick dismisses Cortez’s reasons for his performance.

“Whatever excuses she wants to make,” Maverick told MMA Junkie Radio at SEICon. “For me, you have to be ready for anything. You fought five rounds, you fought in Denver – you’re making up all the excuses – the weight cut and everything. It wasn’t a five-day notice, it was a two-day notice. She should be ready for a fight next week. Like if you started cutting weight two weeks earlier.

“It’s not like she’s sitting on the couch. I see all these articles like, ‘Oh, she got off the couch and did this.’ I say, no, do her research. She was supposed to fight me this weekend. It’s not that big of a change. She is in the top 10 of the ranking. Tracy had never fought a ranked opponent and finally had the opportunity to move up and it didn’t show up.

Cortez accepted the opponent change 19 days after Maycee Barber, Denver’s original headliner alongside Namajunas, was unable to compete due to medical issues.

Maverick would be ready to face Cortez despite the loss to Namajunas. In fact, she says her confidence in her abilities to do the job grew after watching what happened in the UFC on ESPN 59 main event.

“I think if I fought her, it would be the same thing that happened when Rose fought her,” Maverick said. “I wasn’t impressed, let’s just say that.”

For now, Maverick has a new challenge in Barboza (7-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on his hands and hopes to finish the fight via submission. From there, it’s all about mixing it up with anyone in the top 15, anytime, anywhere.

“Anyone you put in front of me that’s in the top 15, I’m ready to fight,” Maverick said. “I just don’t see how she’s still ranked as high as she is, and maybe that will eventually come down. Maybe we’ll switch places after this fight, I don’t know. Like I said, whoever they put in front of me, if it ends up being Tracy, I’m down. I’m ready to go if she wants that fight.”

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This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie