UFC on ESPN: Namajunas vs. Cortez
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
| Website | www |
UFC on ESPN: Namajunas vs. Cortez, also identified as UFC on ESPN 59, was a mixed martial arts event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 13, 2024, at Ball Arena located in Denver, Colorado, United States.
Background
This occasion represented the UFC’s seventh appearance in Denver and its first event there since November 2018.
Initially, the main event was slated to be a women’s flyweight contest featuring former two-time UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas against Maycee Barber. However, Barber withdrew due to persistent health concerns and was subsequently replaced by Tracy Cortez, who had been originally booked to fight Miranda Maverick at a subsequent event.
A lightweight bout between Chris Duncan and Nazim Sadykhov was scheduled but fell through when Duncan pulled out for undisclosed reasons. Marquel Mederos stepped in as his replacement but later withdrew as well, resulting in the cancellation of the matchup.
The card also included a lightweight fight planned between Drew Dober and Mike Davis. Davis withdrew after suffering a torn bicep, and Jean Silva, who had competed just two weeks prior at UFC 303, took his place.
A welterweight contest between Mike Malott and Gilbert Urbina was removed from the lineup following Urbina’s withdrawal and Malott sustaining an injury during training.
In women’s flyweight competition, Viviane Araújo was set to clash with Jasmine Jasudavicius, but Araújo pulled out shortly before the event. Promotional newcomer Fatima Kline replaced her on short notice.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were granted as follows:
- Fight of the Night: Jean Silva vs. Drew Dober
- Performance of the Night: Charles Johnson and Montel Jackson