Denver’s own Rose Namajunas needed all five rounds to beat Tracy Cortez in the UFC’s return to the Mile High City on Saturday night.

All three judges scored the contest unanimously in favor of the Westminster-based fighter.

For the first time since 2018, the UFC returned to Denver at Ball Arena.

The main event featured former strawweight champion Namajunas (13-6), and No. 10 ranked, Phoenix-based fighter Cortez (11-1), who entered the octagon undefeated in the UFC with five decision wins in the women’s flyweight main event.

After Fort Collins-based Maycee Barber pulled out of the fight against Namajunas three weeks ago, Cortez stepped up to replace her. Cortez was already preparing to fight Miranda Maverick on July 20.

During the fight, Namajunas’ left hand was a difference maker. In setting up combinations, Namajunas at times faked the right and finished with a left jab. A good chunk of her combinations were met with Cortez counterstrikes.

Namajunas also neutralized Cortez on the feet with a series of leg kicks.

In the first round, Namajunas knocked down Cortez with a left hook. Namajunas utilized her wrestling abilities and took Cortez down in most of the rounds.

“When I am here, I can just kind of breathe, you know,” Namajunas said of winning in Denver. “I knew she was going to be real tough, she was really good at gaining her guard and recovering.”

More of the main card:

Salikhov wins split decision chess match against Ponzinibbio

The co-main event featured two welterweights with a chance to reach the UFC’s top-15 ranking in the class. 

And it was a close fight.

Russian fighter Muslim Salikhov, who spent the last few weeks training in Colorado, held on to beat UFC veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio.

Despite facing difficulties and sustaining damage in boxing exchanges, Salikhov was more dominant in ground control situations and gained the edge on the three judge’s scorecards.

Gash to the eye loses fight for Denver’s own Drew Dober

 Locals roared  in support of Denver’s own Drew Dober, who  was defeated by Brazil’s Jean Silva due to a doctor’s stoppage.

In the middle of round one, Dober sustained a cut on his right eyebrow, inflicted by Silva’s elbow. As the fight went on, Silva continued to target Dober’s  eye, opening up the gash deeper.

After more strikes in round three, and a spinning back-fist by Silva, referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. 

The crowd boo’d at the doctor stoppage but the UFC awarded both fighters $50,000 for providing the “fight of the night.”

Dober accepted the fight on two weeks notice and, despite the loss, spoke to the crowd after the fight.

“This is what I mean being a warrior,” Dober said after the fight. “This is what being a fighter all about.”

Bonfim wins by unanimous decision

Welterweights Grabriel Bonfim and Ange Loosa went the full 15 minutes in the main card’s third bout of the night.

Bonfim, named the unanimous winner, maintained an advantage on the feet. Loosa landed  a few significant strikes of his own. Bonfim defended Loosa’s takedown attempts for the first decision win of his 4-1 UFC career.

Erosa submits Rodriguez in back-and-forth scrap

In  a showdown between two popular featherweights, Julian Erosa prevailed against a favored Christian Rodriguez  via a first round submission.

The featherweight scrap began with a flurry of boxing exchanges, until Erosa trapped Rodriguez with a guillotine choke on his back.

This is Erosa’s second finish by submission in 2024. 

Doctor stops Cody Brundage-Abdul Razak Alhassan fight

In the first fight of UFC Denver’s main card, Denver-based fighter Abdul Razak Alhassan knocked Cody Brundage to the ground half a minute into Round 1. 

Alhassan proceeded to illegally hammer and pound Brundage in the back of the head, compelling the fight doctor to stop it. 

The middleweight fight was then ruled a no-contest, with it being ruled an accidental strike to the back of the head.

The decision was greeted by a  chorus of boos from the crowd.

Preliminary fights: Montel Jackson knocks out Da’Mon Blackshear, Johnson’s KO wins performance bonus

Montel Jackson landed a vicious left jab into the left jaw of Da’Mon Blackshear in the bantamweight fight, marking the first knockout of the night and sending fans into a frenzy.

In the flyweight division, Charles Johnson also knocked out Joshua Van with a right uppercut in the third round, winning him $50,000 in a performance of the night honor.

Brazilian Luana Santos’ rear naked choke forced a submission by  Mriya Agapova, cementing Santos’ five-fight win streak.

The first fight featured a back-and-forth slugfest in the welterweight division; Evan Elder defeated Darius Flowers on the ground with an arm triangle choke.