Did Tracy Cortez's brother fight in the UFC? Exploring her brother's role in her MMA journey

Tracy Cortez is undoubtedly among the UFC's fastest-rising women's flyweight contenders. The 30-year-old is riding an 11-fight win streak. Her immense success as a mixed martial artist may be credited to her brothers, Jose Cortez and Reyes Cortez Jr.

Cortez began training in MMA at the age of 14 after being influenced by her oldest brother, Jose Cortez, who dreamt of competing in the UFC someday.

---

Did Tracy Cortez's brother fight in the UFC?

Tracy Cortez's elder brother Jose Cortez was a rsing MMA fighter. He defeated UFC veteran Drew Fickett via split decision in November 2008 but was forced to retire from the sport due to cardiovascular problems. He was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer soon after and passed away in 2011.

Tracy sports a tattoo on her arm, honoring her brother, who influenced her decision to become an MMA fighter. While the 30-year-old struggled with severe depression after her brother's passing, she was nursed back to health by her family and Henry Cejudo's family.

Cortez's other brother, Reyes Cortez Jr., is also an MMA fighter. He last came up short against Payton Talbott at Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) season 7. Talbott managed to defeat Cortez Jr. via unanimous decision, handing the Mexican his second loss in the DWCS competition.

While Reyes wasn't granted a UFC contract, former two-division champion Henry Cejudo has campaigned on his behalf and called for the promotion to give him a chance. Cejudo pointed out how interesting it would be to book Tracy and Reyes on the same card.

---

Tracy Cortez fulfilling her brother's dream of becoming an elite UFC fighter

Jose Cortez dreamt of becoming a UFC champion but he could not realize the dream due to cancer. However, Tracy Cortez went on to fulfil the dream and became a highly touted UFC contender.

Cortez is currently on a five-fight win streak in the UFC and looks poised to become a serious title contender in near future. In her last outing at the 2023 Noche UFC, the 30-year-old defeated Jasmine Jasudavicius by unanimous decision.

Cortez is set to take on the biggest challenge of her professinoal MMA career this weekend as she takes on former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas at the UFC Denver event. A potential win over Namajunas can further Cortez's quest for the title shot as 'Thug' is currently the No.7-ranked women's flyweight contender.