Tracy Cortez vs. Miranda Maverick is off once again, this time due to injury.
Scheduled for UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa, Fla., Cortez (11-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has withdrawn from the bout against Maverick (14-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) due to injury. The event takes place Dec. 14 at Amalie Arena.
Two people with knowledge of the situation recently informed MMA Junkie of the change but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Cortez and Maverick were originally scheduled to fight July 20 in Las Vegas. However, when Maycee Barber fell out of a July 13 main event in Denver, Cortez was slotted in against Rose Namajunas.
In her first promotional main event, Cortez lost to Namajunas by unanimous decision. One week later, Maverick defeated fill-in Dione Barbosa by unanimous decision.
While no replacement for Cortez has been locked yet, Maverick is expected to remain on the card against a different opponent.
With the change, the current UFC on ESPN 63 lineup includes:
- Ian Machado Garry vs. Joaquin Buckley
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Vitor Petrino
- Tracy Cortez vs. Miranda Maverick
- Josefine Knutsson vs. Piera Rodriguez
- Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos
- Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras
- Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva
- Ottman Azaitar vs. Michael Johnson
- Daniel Marcos vs. Adrian Yanez
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.