The former two-time UFC Strawweight Champion is set to make her comeback in the Octagon this Saturday in Denver.

The conclusion of last month's UFC 303 event may be most notable for the significant alterations made to the main fights on the card. Initially scheduled to feature Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler and Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree, the event ended up showcasing Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka and Dan Ige vs. Diego Lopes. Notably, Ige accepted the fight a mere four hours prior to entering the octagon.

Namajunas has faced an unexpected opponent change in her upcoming fight, transitioning from Maycee Barber to Tracy Cortez for the flyweight Fight Night main event in Denver. This switch is particularly surprising given that Namajunas has never experienced such a last-minute alteration in her 10-year tenure with the UFC. Unlike many fighters, Namajunas has rarely encountered opponent withdrawals, with the only instance she could recall happening during her amateur career. Despite maintaining the same fight date, Namajunas now finds herself preparing to face a new adversary after Barber withdrew in late June due to a persistent medical problem.

“The moment that I found out [that Barber was out], I was instantly disappointed,” Namajunas said Monday during a video call with The Post. “I was pretty devastated for, like a day, even some residual days after that. “But once I knew that there was a new opponent possibly, I immediately was trying to get my mind to just process that as quick as possible.” 

Cortez entered the scene, agreeing to the match less than three weeks prior. The original matchup with Barber was seen as a potential No. 1 contender's fight, with many predicting that a strong win by either fighter could potentially bypass the expected next challenger, Manon Fiorot. This would happen after the champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko face each other for the third time in two years, which is anticipated to take place in the fall. Namajunas gained recognition as a participant on the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2014. Throughout the years, she has accumulated six post-fight bonuses, evenly split between Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night. Notably, she shares the record for most finishes in the UFC strawweight division, with five victories to her credit.

Namajunas has been the UFC strawweight champion twice. She first won the title in November 2017 by defeating Joanna Jędrzejczyk. Her second title victory was in April 2021 at UFC 261, where she defeated Zhang Weili in an impressive performance. Namajunas, with a record of 12-6 and seven finishes, is currently ranked No. 6 in the UFC rankings, just behind No. 4 Barber.

“Originally, that was kind of the idea,” Namajunas said. “… That’s what it was looking like. And obviously, I still think that it could potentially be that [with this fight]. It really just kind of depends on what happens.”

Namajunas, in her first appearance at 125 pounds last September, suffered a loss to Fiorot in France in a closely fought match. Despite Fiorot's undefeated record in seven UFC fights and a recent decisive victory over Erin Blanchfield in Atlantic City, her fighting style has not managed to capture the attention of fans. This is where the phrase "depends on what happens" becomes relevant, as it is not out of the question for the popular and accomplished Namajunas to move up the ranks with another exciting win in Colorado, where she has trained for many years. This decision may not be well-received by those who argue that Cortez (11-1, two finishes), despite her 5-0 record in the UFC and a previous win over Blanchfield, is not among the top-10 contenders in the UFC's rankings. Nevertheless, Namajunas acknowledges the skills that Cortez brings to the octagon... to a certain extent.