UFC 317: "It would be almost cowardly" - Tracy Cortez opens up about addressing the Phoenix protests during her UFC 317 post-fight interview

Tracy Cortez got back in the win column at UFC 317 when she faced off against Viviane Araujo. The flyweight contender suffered her first loss in the octagon in her previous bout against Rose Namajunas at UFC on ESPN 59. After returning to winning ways, the Mexican-American took the opportunity to speak about something close to her heart.

Cortez addressed the tensions currently being experienced in the U.S., particularly in the Latino community, regarding President Donald Trump's immigration policy. Trump's second-term has seen him ramp up the raids conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to reports, Trump has set a target of 3,000 arrests by ICE per day, a steep rise from the 650 arrests per day that was set for the first five months of his second term.

The policies have seen protests kick off in heavily-Latino populated areas of the country, namely Los Angeles, California and Phoenix, Arizona. As a Phoenix native, Cortez took to sharing an emotional message about the protests that have unfolded in her home city. Following her win over Araujo, Cortez was interviewed by Joe Rogan, where she said:

"I don't know if I'm the right person to talk about this, but ugly things are happening to La Raza all around the U.S., I just want to say you guys have a voice. I'm here for you, and I want to make all Mexicans proud." [Translated from Spanish to English via The Express]

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Check out Tracy Cortez's comments below (1:25):

Cortez appeared in front of the media backstage following her win. She was asked to expand on her comments made in the octagon, where she said:

"A lot of my fans are Mexicans. It's the Latin community. It is someone that I represent very much to my core. I think it would be almost coward-like if I didn't speak on something. I want the support from what I call, 'Mi gente, La Raza.' I want their support and I represent the Mexican flag as well as the U.S. flag. I think it's only right for me to speak on it... I was just waiting for the right opportunity, and I felt it in my heart."

Catch Tracy Cortez's comments following UFC 317 below (via MMA Fighting):

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Liam is a MMA and Boxing writer at Sportskeeda. His journey into MMA journalism began with a high school diploma in 2017, but his passion for writing led him to diverse experiences, including internships in research and writing roles and accounting work.

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Edited by Liam Fresen