TLDR
- Tracy Cortez lost to Wang Cong by unanimous decision at UFC 329 on Saturday
- The loss marked Cortez’s first back-to-back defeats and her third loss in four fights
- Cortez released a lengthy Instagram statement about growth and transformation on Monday
- The 32-year-old fighter said she is choosing to trust the process despite recent struggles
- Cortez praised opponent Wang Cong as talented and down to earth in her post
Sources: sports.yahoo.com
Women’s flyweight fighter Tracy Cortez posted a reflective statement on social media Monday following her loss at UFC 329 last Saturday. The defeat marked the first time in her career that Cortez has suffered back-to-back losses.
Cortez lost to rising Chinese fighter Wang Cong by unanimous decision on the early preliminary card of UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2. The loss was Cortez’s third defeat in her last four fights.
In a lengthy Instagram post, the 32-year-old fighter addressed the loss and shared her thoughts on personal growth. She described the process of transformation as painful but necessary.
Fighter Describes Growth as ‘Brutal’ Process
“Some days you’ll win, some days you’ll lose. But that’s the price of ambition,” Cortez wrote in her statement. “Transformation, expanding into your potential, is painful.”
The fighter compared personal growth to breaking down walls and described it as a violent but worthwhile process. She told her followers that reaching one’s potential requires tearing down comfort zones and betting on yourself.
AIN'T NOTHING TO JOKE ABOUT 🃏
Wang Cong earns the UD victory at #UFC329!
[ LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/eBo1mj5loS
— UFC (@ufc) July 11, 2026
Cortez explained that becoming your best self doesn’t feel powerful as it’s happening. “It’ll feel like dying,” she wrote in the post.
She described growth as a constant breakdown rather than a smooth journey. The fighter said it involves the repeated death of your old self.
Cortez wrote that just when you think you’ve reached your goal, you realize there’s much more work to do. She said growth rarely feels graceful while it’s happening.
“It feels like confusion. It feels like loss. It feels like the ground shifting under your feet,” Cortez stated in her message.
Cortez Chooses to Trust the Process
The UFC fighter encouraged herself and others to stop labeling experiences as simply good or bad. She said every experience is necessary and helps shape who you become.
“Every lesson stretched your capacity. Every fracture widened your heart,” Cortez wrote. “Every time you chose to keep going, something stronger in you took shape.”
Cortez said she is choosing to trust the timing of her journey. The fighter stated she is learning that life is not happening against her but for her.
“I’m becoming exactly who you were meant to be,” she wrote in the post.
The fighter expressed gratitude for several aspects of her experience. She thanked Wang Cong for the opportunity to share the octagon, calling her talented and down to earth.
Dustin Poirier Calls Out Conor McGregor After UFC 329 Injury: ‘I’ll Whoop You Again’
Cortez also said she is grateful for both the highs and lows that come with the sport. She thanked God for never letting her go throughout her journey in fighting and in life.
The fighter ended her statement by expressing gratitude for the heart she has been blessed with. Cortez’s loss to Wang Cong took place on the early preliminary card of UFC 329 last Saturday.
