With Maycee Barber out, Tracy Cortez targeted to face Rose Namajunas in UFC Denver headliner

Rose Namajunas has a new opponent lined up for her return to the octagon.

The former UFC strawweight champion is now targeted to take on Tracy Cortez, as a replacement for her original opponent Maycee Barber – who withdrew from the matchup due to undisclosed reasons. The fight still remains the headliner of the UFC Fight Night event scheduled for July 13 in Denver.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the change but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Mania and MMA Fighting first reported the news Tuesday.

Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) is 1-1 since her move up to flyweight from in 2023. After a unanimous decision loss to Manon Fiorot in her divisional debut, Namajunas rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Amanda Ribas in March.

Cortez (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) remains undefeated since joining the UFC in 2019. She last fought in September, where she defeated Jasmine Jasudavicius in a unanimous decision. This will be the first UFC event Cortez headlines.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie