Tracy Cortez didn’t know the main event of UFC 322: “I’m like what is [Islam Makhachev] do here?” | BJPenn.com

Tracy Cortez is a featured competitor at UFC 322 but had no idea what the main fight of the night was, with the presence of Islam Makhachev recently becoming a confusing sight for her.

This was revealed during a pre-fight interview with Nina Drama, where a clip from the full interview was posted X account @RedCorner_MMA. Cortez will clash with Erin Blanchfield in one of the more relevant fights on the preliminary portion of the card. Cortez will attempt to claim the number four spot that Blanchfield currently occupies in the flyweight rankings.

When asked what people say wrong about her during her interview with Nina Drama, Cortez said:

“That I don’t know many people… Like I didn’t even know who the main event was… I knew the co-main, but then I saw: how do you say his name?… Islam [Makhachev]. Is that his name? Then I saw him and I thought: what is he doing here? My coach looked at me and he was like he was the fucking main event.

Tracy Cortez believes a title shot awaits her after UFC 322

Tracy Cortez enters Madison Square Garden on November 15 with a peripheral focus on this fight, which could earn her a title shot in 2026. The closeness of Valentina Shevchenko defending her 125-pound crown against Zhang Weili on this card could also add some fuel to the fire of this concept.

During a UFC.com interview during media day discussing the machinations of this bout and where a win could take her, Cortez stated [via MSN],

“This is competing for the No. 4 spot, possibly No. 3 – call me crazy, but winning this [fight]I could be a title challenger. Even if I say it is, I don’t want to get ahead of myself, just a dream come true. I have worked so hard for that and I am extremely focused at the moment.”

“It’s been a journey. It’s taken me a lot longer than I would have liked, but being here and getting there: everything happens for a reason. All the setbacks, all the injuries, all the delays… the timing is perfect.”

Cortez and Blanchfield have a history with each other, as the former scored a controversial split-decision victory over the latter during their 2019 Invicta FC match.