After six years in the UFC, Tracy Cortez is finally starting to feel like she’s grown into a role model for young women.
The No. 8 ranked Cortez returns to action at UFC 322 against No. 4 ranked Erin Blanchfield. The two fought back in 2019 under the Invicta banner, with Cortez taking a split decision win. Now she’s hoping to seal up a title shot at women’s flyweight with a second win over Blanchfield in Madison Square Garden, and her growing popularity makes that a real possibility.
In a new interview with Fighters Only, Cortez was asked about the expectations that came with that popularity and whether she wanted to be held up as an example to young women.
“When I was younger, personally, I didn’t want to be an example,” Cortez replied. “And I could say that because I was very much confused on how I should move as well. But now I’ve really grown into myself and I’ve learned who I am as a woman, I’m not an insecure little girl anymore in the sport. I know who I am. I know what I wanna be, and I know what the angle is for me.”
“In the midst of all this, I’ve learned that there’s really power of being a woman and having integrity and moving correctly and respectfully. I think in social media, we’re so used to the fakeness … when you see someone real, it’s so easy to wanna break them down. And then you see this younger generation coming up seeing so much fakeness and it bothers me because I was once that little girl.”
We’ve seen Cortez call out fakeness in the UFC, like when she ran into Ailin Perez after Perez had talked all sorts of trash about her online. We wouldn’t say her reaction was traditional role model behavior, but you can’t say she didn’t keep it real.
“I have a niece, and I’ve moved the way I moved because I wanted to be a good example for her,” Cortez continued. “She’s an incredible woman, she’s 21 now, and she’s thanked me. She’s cried and she’s thanked me because she’s like, ‘I’ve seen you and I’ve seen how you move and how the world tries to tear you down, and you’ve just stayed true to yourself.’ And to me, that’s all I wanted was to be a good example for her.”
“Now I’m seeing the bigger picture and not as selfish as just me and my family. There’s so many other hearts and young girls that are also watching me there. I just wanna make it clear: I’m not a great example. I make mistakes. I’m human. But I’m really trying. I’m trying so hard.”
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