UFC Denver 2024 Results: Rose Namajunas Cements Flyweight Contender Status With Decision Win Over Tracy Cortez

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Rose Namajunas cemented her flyweight contender status after a dominating decision win over Tracey Cortez in the headliner of UFC Denver 2024: Namajunas vs. Cortez event which took place at the sold out Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Saturday (July 13).

3 of 6 fights on the main card, including the headliners, went the distance, while 7 of 12 fights on the card ended in stoppage. Among the 7 stoppage wins on the card, 3 were either knockout (KO) or technical knockout (TKO), 3 submission finishes and 1 No Contest.

A lightweight scrap on the main card between Drew Dober and Jean Silva was awarded the fight of the night, while Charles Johnson and Montel Jackson bagged performance bonuses for their respective stoppage wins. Here is a look at the recap and results of UFC on ESPN: Namajunas vs. Cortez:

UFC Denver 2024 Recap

In the main event, women's flyweight contenders No. 6 ranked Namajunas and No. 11 ranked Cortez engaged in a firefight from the opening bell. Namajunas and her crisp jab got the first knockdown in round one, so Cortez got more aggressive in round two and scored with a back take.

But Namajunas ended the round with a takedown, then landed more through to round five, proving her expertise in all aspects of MMA. With the unanimous decision win, Namajunas kept her #6 rank in the division.

Following the win, Namajunas said: "Denver has been so good to me. I had a rough upbringing, but when I'm here, I can just breathe. I knew she was going to be really tough. I knew her wrestling was really good so I was hesitant, but I had success with it so I kept going to it. Give me the belt! Or a women's BMF."

In the co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio and "The King of Kung Fu" Muslim Salikhov put on a high level striking battle in their bout at welterweight. The momentum swung back and forth, and Salikhov delivered the sanda flare he's known for. It swayed two out of three judges to give him the win by split decision.

After the close win, Salikhov said, "Ponzinibbio's a very experienced guy, I respect him a lot. But today I had the best team, the best game plan, and I followed it. I wasn't easy but I got the win. My manager told me to come here early, and I love Denver after that. This is the best city for me. All my camps I will do here now."

Also on the main card, an accidental blow resulted in a No Contest in the opening middleweight bout between Abdul Razak Alhassan and Cody Brundage. In a welterweight bout, Gabriel Bonfim dominated Ange Loosa over three rounds to earn a decision win.

Plus, Jean Silva defeated Drew Dober in the lightweight bout after the doctor called a stop to the contest in the third round, resulting in a TKO win for the former. In a featherweight bout, Julian Erosa choked out Christian Rodriguez in the opening round for a submission win.

Earlier on the preliminary card, Jasmine Jasudavicius and Andre Petroski earned decision wins, while Charles Johnson, Montel Jackson, Luana Santos and Evan Elder claimed stoppage wins in their respective bouts. Here is a look at the final results of UFC on ESPN 59:

UFC Denver 2024 Results

• Women's Flyweight Bout: Rose Namajunas defeated Tracy Cortez by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
• Welterweight Bout: Muslim Salikhov defeated Santiago Ponzinibbio by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Lightweight Bout: Jean Silva defeated Drew Dober by TKO (doctor's stoppage) at 1:28 of Round 3
• Welterweight Bout: Gabriel Bonfim defeated Ange Loosa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Featherweight Bout: Julian Erosa defeated Christian Rodriguez by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:49 of Round 1
• Middleweight Bout: Abdul Razak Alhassan and Cody Brundage ruled a No Contest (accidental blows) at 0:37 of Round 1
• Flyweight Bout: Charles Johnson defeated Joshua Van by KO (right uppercut) at 0:20 of Round 3
• Women's Flyweight Bout: Jasmine Jasudavicius defeated Fatima Kline by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Bantamweight Bout: Montel Jackson defeated Da'Mon Blackshear by KO (left hand) at 0:18 of Round 1
• Women's Flyweight Bout: Luana Santos defeated Mariya Agapova by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:27 of Round 1
• Middleweight Bout: Andre Petroski defeated Josh Fremd by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Welterweight Bout: Evan Elder defeated Darrius Flowers by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 1:46 of Round 2