The UFC Tampa card scheduled for December 14 was finalized in the afternoon on November 5.
Later in the evening, news spread about Tracy Cortez’s withdrawal from her fight against Miranda Maverick.
The bout order hadn’t been confirmed, but based on the other fights on the card, it looked like a matchup destined to land on the main card.
Nolan King of MMA Junkie had the news on Cortez first, and there was no word on whether Maverick will get a replacement. This is now the second time a fight between Cortez and Maverick will be nixed.
Cortez was supposed to face Maverick in July, but the former was rebooked for a fight with Rose Namajunas that took place a week earlier.
Cortez has now withdrawn from fights three times since 2021 and missed weight once during that span. She is currently ranked No. 12 among UFC women’s flyweights, with one of the UFC Edmonton standouts, Jasmine Jasudavicius, hot on her heels following the release of the most recent rankings.
Here is a look at the updated fight lineup with Cortez out of her fight with Maverick.
- Ian Machado Garry vs. Joaquin Buckley
- Amanda Ribas vs. Mackenzie Dern
- Cub Swanson vs. Billy Quarantillo
- ??? vs. Miranda Maverick
- Michael Johnson vs. Ottman Azaitar
- Manel Kape vs. Bruno Gustavo da Silva
- Joel Alvarez vs. Drakkar Klose
- Vitor Petrino vs. Dustin Jacoby
- Daniel Marcos vs. Adrian Yanez
- Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras
- Josefine Lindgren Knutsson vs. Piera Rodriguez
- Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos
- Sean Woodson vs. Fernando Padilla
Maverick is on a roll.
The 27-year-old is on a three-fight win streak and seemingly on the cusp of being ranked. She’s seemingly having a problem getting matched up with an opponent who can provide an opportunity for her to move up.
Because this is the second time Maverick has lost a fight, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the UFC hunt down a replacement for Cortez. Maverick would likely prefer the fight was against a ranked opponent like Cortez, but that may not be possible.
One obvious option, if she’s healthy, available, and able to make weight, is Casey O’Neill. She is currently ranked No. 15 in the division. While lower than Cortez, the fight would allow Maverick to break into the rankings.
Unfortunately for O’Neill, that would theoretically come at her expense. O’Neill is coming off a win over Luana Santos in August, so it wouldn’t be crazy for her to climb back into the Octagon four months later.
Other than O’Neill, Maverick may again be forced to wait for Cortez or potentially face another unranked opponent in a fight with lower stakes.
Thankfully, the intriguing welterweight main event is still intact. The Ian Machado Garry vs. Joaquin Buckley fight could put the winner on the doorstep of a title opportunity. The winner of the UFC Tampa main event might legitimately be one win away from challenging for the gold.
As long as that fight stays in order, there is still a huge reason to watch at least one of the fights from Tampa.
