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“Personally, I thrive off the crowd’s energy. Whether they’re booing or they’re cheering, you get this adrenaline rush,” Cortez explained. “But we’re entertainers, that’s why we do this. I don’t mind it [an empty APEX]. At the end of the day, I’m going to do my job and I’m going to perform.”
In addition to fighting sans fans, another adjustment Cortez will have to make is not having her brother Junior in her corner, something she calls a tough “business decision” that had to be made.
“It breaks my heart, my brother has been in my corner for every fight. So not having him here is different for me,” Cortez said. “I decided this fight camp that I need to bring the tools that I need to win this fight. I’m trying to make a statement, this is work, and I’m gonna get the job done.”
A decision that speaks volumes to the amount of personal and professional growth she has exuded over the past two years, Cortez said that she now knows the tools she needs to tailor to her camps for each win.
A mainstay in her corner is Angel Cejudo, a longtime coach widely respected in the wrestling community for his ability to consistently produce elite-level athletes, and the older brother of the retired flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo.