Preview: UFC 329 Prelims - Cortez vs. Wang

Women’s Flyweights

Odds: Wang (-112), Cortez (-108)

An interesting style clash should help sort some things out in the
flyweight division. When the UFC signed Cong Wang in
2024, it was with the clear intent to follow the Alex
Pereira blueprint to a grudge match with Valentina
Shevchenko; the two had history stemming from a Wang win in
kickboxing shortly before Shevchenko’s UFC career, and Wang
appeared to be the level of quick study that could run up the
ladder with some advantageous matchmaking. Unfortunately, things
got derailed slightly in Wang’s second UFC bout; she’s clearly a
talent, but her general disregard for her opposition wound up with
her getting stunned and submitted by Gabriella
Fernandes in a fight that was otherwise going her way.
Thankfully, Wang rebounded well and has looked sharper in her three
fights since, balancing her aggression in a more thoughtful manner
in some one-sided wins – and her last win over Eduarda
Moura did show that she can manage to outpoint and outwork an
opponent that’s continually looking to wrestle. And so it’s time to
try and move Wang up the ladder again, with Tracy
Cortez providing a test that’s potentially quite tough on
paper.

Cortez was essentially a lock to get a contract with a win in her
2019 appearance on the Contender Series; beyond an obviously
marketable look, Cortez fighting in the memory of her late brother
made her quite easy to root for. But once her UFC career got
started, Cortez quickly proved that she was much more than just a
charity case, standing out as a grimy and aggressive wrestler, even
in a few fights up at bantamweight. Despite her success, Cortez’s
rise was slower than expected due to a lack of activity – she’s
fought at a pace of roughly one fight per calendar year – but
things still seemed set to work out after a 2023 win over Jasmine
Jasudavicius, which saw Cortez leverage her wrestling advantage
into looking like the much quicker and more effective striker. But
her next bout in a main event slot against Rose
Namajunas did raise the worry that Cortez might be becoming too
well-rounded for her own good, as she wasted a lot of time on the
feet and generally looked reticent in pursuing takedowns and
getting to the best parts of her game. Thankfully, Cortez embraced
the grind against Viviane
Araujo in her next bout, but there’s still some worry as to how
Cortez might fare in deeper waters, especially after another loss
where Erin
Blanchfield proved herself the better grappler and handed her a
submission loss. But even with Wang’s improvements on the mat, this
still looks like a fight that Cortez can clearly win if she
embraces a wrestling-heavy gameplan; that’s not entirely a lock,
but the pick is still Cortez via decision.