September 16th this year marks the 213th anniversary of Mexican Independence Day. According to a 2021 survey, 11.2% of the U.S. population is of Mexican descent.
UFC Fight Night 227 will be held on September 16th local time at the T-Mobile Arena (capacity 20,000) in Paradise, Nevada, USA. UFC, the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization, announced the purpose of holding the event to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day.
Nevada was Mexican territory until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. In 2021, 19% of Nevada’s population is of Mexican descent. Tracy Cortes (30, USA), ranked 14th in the women’s flyweight division (-57kg) competing at UFC Fight Night 227, is also of Mexican descent.
“It is an honor to represent Latinos,” Cortes said in a pre-video interview with MK Sports and UFC Fight Night 227. “He was born in the United States, but he’s really proud to be of Mexican descent.”
Latino is a concept that includes not only Hispanics (Spanish-speaking ancestry) but also Portuguese-speaking roots. As a result of the 2021 survey, 18.7% of Americans메이저놀이터 were classified as ‘Hispanic & Latino’. Mexico belongs to the Spanish-speaking world.
After entering the UFC, Cortes participated in competitions in Brazil in 2019 and the United Arab Emirates in 2020, but has no experience competing in Mexico yet. The Mexican tournament was not the place where he suffered seven failed matches since his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2017.
UFC held six tournaments in Mexico in total: ▲2014 ▲2015 (twice) ▲2016 ▲2017 ▲2019. Cortes expressed his wish, saying, “I want to show my family in Mexico that I compete as a mixed martial artist.”
Including amateurs, Cortes has 16 wins and 1 loss in 17 fights since 2013. His winning percentage over the past 10 years is 94.1%. However, he expressed his regret, saying, “Because all the games were played outside of Mexico, I have not yet been able to enjoy the joy of winning when my family came to visit.”
Cortes said, “If I get the chance to join the UFC Mexico event, I won’t miss it. It will take precedence over everything else. “I hope to achieve my dream as a professional mixed martial arts fighter who fights in front of my family,” he said.
The main event of UFC Fight Night 227 is the first defense of the title of the third women’s flyweight champion, Alexa Grasso (30, Mexico). Cortes said, “It would be a lie to say that we are close friends, but I know him (personally) well. “He is also a player I respect,” he said.
Grasso competed in Invicta, an American women’s mixed martial arts competition, from 2014 to 2016, and Cortes from 2017 to 2019. Cortes said, “We were training together with Grasso when he just signed with the UFC. “She is one of the reasons to cheer,” she revealed.
In the UFC women’s flyweight division, the second champion, Valentina Shevchenko (35, Kyrgyzstan), ruled for a long time from December 2018 to March 2023. In order to regain the top spot that was lost to Grasso after losing in the 8th defense, he will enter this tournament as a challenger.
Cortes said, “Grasso is even better because she brought a new wind to the women’s flyweight division of mixed martial arts. “If Mexico can continue to have a UFC champion, that would be great,” she said, revealing that she does not want Shevchenko to win.