Preview: DWCS Season 3, Episode 6

Mariya Agapova vs. Tracy Cortez

A Fights Night Global and Brave Combat Federation veteran, Agapova is a perfect 6-0 with four finishes in her mixed martial arts career. The fighter from Kazakhstan will get a chance to become one of the few female fighters from that region to get a chance to compete in the premier MMA organization. Agapova is a southpaw who needs to improve her striking. The Akhmat Fight Club rep has fast hands but is not all that technical. She has a penchant to slide into the pocket, where she sets her feet and throws wildly, hoping to hurt her opponents with power shots. She does not throw many kicks and makes the mistake of constantly circling to her left, directly in line with an orthodox fighter’s power shots. The undefeated fighter’s game plan is usually to take the fight to the canvas. She often looks to take her opponents down by catching a kick or simply bull rushing them. When she shoots in for a takedown, she often fails to set it up behind strikes but is dedicated at getting her counterpart to the mat. Once on top, Agapova looks to advance her position and unleash heavy ground-and-pound. While she is a skilled wrestler, her takedown defense remains a weakness. However, once she is on her back, she does well at attacking with submissions from the bottom or quickly getting back to her feet.

Cortez is a veteran of Invicta Fighting Championships and Combate Americas. The Arizona native lost her professional debut but has recovered to win her other five fights. She is a high-paced fighter who uses elusive movement to vary her attacks. She constantly presses the action, working behind an active jab. She gets hit a lot because she does not have enough head movement. When she manages to get to the pocket, she will fire off large combinations. She leaves herself open to being countered because she often throws kicks without any setup. Some of her best work is when she is in the clinch and can dirty box. Cortez does well to mix in takedowns with her striking. She excels at keeping her opponents down with heavy top pressure and also does well to find the dominant position in scrambles. The 25-year old is a submission threat, with guillotine and brabo chokes being her specialty. One of Cortez weaknesses is her takedown defense and an inability to get off of her back.

Agapova’s biggest threat is her ability to pin Cortez shoulders to the floor and grind out a decision. However, Cortez is the more well-rounded fighter and should get up on the scorecards due to her huge output. Expect her to pick apart the Kazakhstani fighter on the feet on her way to a unanimous decision.

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