Why Tracy Cortez left Fight Ready team ahead of UFC 329

Tracy Cortez has parted ways with Fight Ready, the Scottsdale, Arizona gym where she trained for years, ahead of her UFC 329 bout against Cong Wang on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The move followed the retirement of her longtime coach Santino Defranco after her loss to Erin Blanchfield last November.

Cortez has relocated to Mexico City to train at the UFC Performance Institute, a decision she believes has accelerated her development as both an athlete and person. While she maintains good terms with the Fight Ready team, Cortez felt she had outgrown the environment. "It's just one of those things where, for me to grow not just as a person but as an athlete, I do have to explore, and I have to go outside of my comfort zone," she told Danny Segura. "I was very comfortable at Fight Ready for many years. Fight Ready was all I knew. So I parted ways, and coming here to Mexico City, I think I've grown so much as a person, a Mexican woman, and as a professional athlete."

The change has allowed Cortez to reconnect with her Mexican heritage while seeking a fresh training environment. The flyweight entered the UFC undefeated in her first five bouts but has dropped two of her last three fights, though both losses came against elite competition in Rose Namajunas and Blanchfield. Her opponent Wang, 9–1 overall and 4–1 in the UFC, notably defeated Valentina Shevchenko in a kickboxing match, making her a formidable foe for Cortez's comeback bid.