SUMMARY
- Brian Ortega pulled off a win UFC Fight Night 237 with his ex Tracy Cortez reportedly in attendance.
- Fans trolled Cortez for being the catalyst for Ortega's motivation that earned him a win.
Brian Ortega pulled off an impressive victory over Yair Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 237 in Mexico. T-City was expected to perform at the top level by fans as his ex Tracy Cortez was reportedly going to attend the event. The Mexican UFC women’s flyweight fighter was in a relationship with Ortega for a few years. Fans believed Ortega had no chance of tasting defeat in front of his ex.
Cortez and Ortega reportedly got together in 2020. Fans adored the UFC power couple as they posted each other regularly on social media. However, after smooth sailing for a while, Cortez and Ortega deleted each other from their social media and broke up early in 2023.
Everyone out here talking bout I fumbled. Y’all must not know the rules of the game. When you drop the ball on accident that’s a fumble , but when you throw it away on purpose. That’s called a complete pass . Top G shit!
— Brian Ortega (@BrianTcity) July 1, 2023
Their breakup, however, was anything but smooth. An image of Cortez with UFC middleweight fighter Paulo Costa went viral, prompting fans to think something was brewing. However, Costa shut those rumors down. On the other hand, Ortega was being slammed by fans for losing Cortez. T-City took no prisoners when he took to X and claimed he was the one who broke up. Cortez also took to X to respond and asked Ortega not to throw shade.
Referring to the bad blood left in this relationship, fans were more than ready to see Ortega win. T-City did so in an admirable fashion. In an interview with Full Send MMA post-fight, Ortega also mentioned that he is a married man and God helped him get his family back.
Fans troll Tracy Cortez after Brian Ortega submits Yair Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 237
Ortega started the match on the back foot with Rodriguez dominating proceedings. T-City was even dropped by Rodriguez but he kept his composure and avoided a finish. Rodriguez kept piling the pressure but Ortega came back to end the round on a high. Many believed the round was a 10-8 for Rodriguez until Ortega’s finish made it 10-9.
In the second round, Ortega continued to pile up momentum and dominate Rodriguez. He was on top of the Mexican fighter for over three minutes in the round. T-City attempted submissions and opened a huge gash under Rodriguez’s right eye before the round finished.
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The third round saw Ortega coming for the kill. He skilfully took out Rodriguez’s leg and turned the move into a choke submission where Rodriguez had to tap out.
Fans had a field day as they mentioned how Cortez in the crowd was a catalyst for Ortega’s win. One fan wrote, “bro was never gonna lose in front of his tracy cortez #UFCMexico.” On similar lines, another fan wrote, “Brian Ortega. Not losing in front of Tracy Cortez in Mexico. No sir. #UFCMexicoCity”
One fan took a dig at the fumble comments and wrote, “Tracy Cortez realising she fumbled with Ortega.” Meanwhile, many fans portrayed how angry Cortez would allegedly be seeing Ortega win. One fan posted a video of an extremely angry person and wrote, “Tracy Cortez watching Brian Ortega win:”
Tracy Cortez watching Brian Ortega win: #UFCMexicoCity pic.twitter.com/8uDTqrbJPN
— PC Strickland (@PCStricklandMMA) February 25, 2024
In the main event, Brandon Moreno lost via a split decision to Brandon Royval. UFC Fight Night 237 ended on a disappointing note for the home fans as both Mexican fighters in the co-main and main event lost.