UFC flyweight Tracy Cortez recently appeared with internet personality N3on for a training session that quickly turned into a showcase of just how wide the gap is between a professional fighter and someone who spends most of their time in front of a camera.
The session began casually enough, with the group debating what to work on first. Cortez and her teammates suggested kicks, while N3on pushed back.
“Why does there have to be kicking? Why can’t we all just eat tacos and have fun?” he asked. Cortez’s response was straightforward: “After the kick.”
From there, Cortez walked N3on through the basics of a body kick, breaking down hip rotation and foot positioning before demonstrating one herself. N3on attempted to follow along, landing something closer to a soccer-style tap than a proper martial arts technique.
Cortez, patient throughout, kept coaching: “You’re kind of doing like a soccer kick. It’s more like grab my leg here and just turning it.”
The group eventually moved on to boxing combinations on the pads, where N3on surprisingly held his own well enough to earn genuine praise.
“He does know how to box a little,” Cortez told her team. When N3on landed a crisp combination, Cortez pulled off her gloves and said she was impressed. “I didn’t think you had that,” she told him.
That goodwill evaporated quickly once the sparring began. With Cortez’s teammate serving as referee, the two squared off for a light session that N3on entered with a fair amount of bravado and exited with considerably less.
Cortez went after the body, locked in a submission, and left N3on tapping and gasping at altitude, blaming the thin air as often as possible.
“Tracy, you got some strong a*s legs,” he said after getting tangled up on the mat. “My stomach. My arm. How are you doing that?”
N3on demanded a second round despite being winded, and Cortez obliged. It went roughly the same way. When it was over, Cortez’s teammate raised her arm and announced her the winner, prompting N3on to clarify for his audience: “She got me today. But it’s all good because I’m a content creator.”
Cortez, who competes at 125 lbs (56.7 kg) and is scheduled to appear on the Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor card, was composed throughout.
When asked how long she plans to keep competing, she was direct: “Once I win the belt, defend it, and then I’ll be out.”
