Tracy Cortez made weight for her UFC main event in an unusual manner.
Because she needed to lose about a quarter of a pound to reach 130 pounds for her flyweight match against Rose Namajunas, Cortez cut off a handful of her hair.
That worked wonders, as she officially weighed in at 126 pounds on Friday. Cortez then posed for the cameras, her cut hair in her hand.
Cortez, 30, and her new bob will face Namajunas in the headliner Saturday night in Denver. Namajunas was originally scheduled to fight Maycee Barber, but Barber withdrew due to ongoing health issues.
“What was it, .5 (pounds)?” she told ESPN afterward. “I was like, ‘No question. We’ll do whatever it takes. This is a big opportunity.’”
Cortez is 11-1 in her MMA career with 11 straight wins. However, Namajunas (12-6) is the favorite at -200.
The UFC returns to Denver for the first time in six years with an event at Ball Arena featuring a main event between Namajunas and Cortez.
Namajunas, a former strawweight champion, is attempting to climb the contendership rankings in the flyweight division. The 32-year-old is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Amanda Ribas in March after losing his division debut last fall.