Tracy Cortez plans on prioritizing her mental before returning to the octagon.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Cortez provided her followers with an update on her state of mind after withdrawing from her scheduled bout with\u00a0<\/span>Amanda Ribas<\/span><\/a>\u00a0at UFC Orlando on Dec.3. At the time, the UFC labelled the withdrawal as a medical issue. Since then, neither Cortez nor the promotion has cleared it up until now.<\/span><\/p>\n Cortez addressed the matter on Instagram through a post and several stories.<\/p>\n \u201cI know after my fight I\u2019ve been a little MIA here on social media,\u201d Cortez\u00a0<\/span>wrote on Instagram<\/span><\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m gonna be as honest as I can be. I\u2019m currently in a place in my life where I\u2019ve just been going through it, physically and mentally.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI want to say I haven\u2019t been in the right head space since sometime in August. Life has been testing me under circumstances that I least expected. I\u2019m currently healing, I\u2019m prioritizing my mental health and just taking life a day at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n Cortez fought just once in 2022, securing a unanimous decision victory over Melissa Gatto in May. The victory moved the flyweight standout to ten consecutive victories, keeping her undefeated UFC record intact.<\/p>\n The 29-year-old gave no indication on when fans can expect to see her back, saying: \u201cIn all honestly I don\u2019t know BUT I will be back, strong, and with a purpose far greater then I\u2019ve ever had before. I don\u2019t quit. I\u2019ve never been one to give up. I\u2019m a fighter. I\u2019m a warrior. I\u2019ve been fighting with battles and life since I could remember and this is just another stage in life that I will come out victorious in. I don\u2019t and wait for the storm to pass, I walk through it with my head high.\u201d<\/p>\n Following the post, Cortez also posted a series of Instagram stories, adding, \u201cI went through my camp extremely depressed\u201d and that withdrawing from UFC Orlando left her broken.<\/p>\n Despite having her own dreams to achieve in mixed martial arts, Cortez’s main priority at this time is taking care of herself.<\/p>\n \u201cWe give everything that we possibly can and we leave it all, every ounce of us in every session,\u201d Cortez said. \u201cI feel like training camp takes a toll on me and I think every fighter can to a certain level relate spiritually, physically obviously, mentally, it takes a toll on us. I gave it all I had and not fighting has kind of left me a little lost.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m OK, I\u2019m keeping myself healthy and making my mental state, my state of my mind, my mental health, I\u2019m making it a priority.\u201d<\/p>\n Quotes via\u00a0<\/span>MMA Fighting<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\nTracy Cortez reveals personal struggles outside of fighting<\/span><\/h3>\n
Watch Cortez open up on mental health struggles<\/h3>\n