Great things have been expected of Tatiana Suarez since the beginning of her Ultimate Fighting Championship career.
She’ll get a chance to make good on that promise when she faces Weili Zhang in a strawweight title bout at UFC 312 on February 8 in Sydney, Australia. This situation is a bit unique as Suarez hasn’t competed since submitting Jessica Andrade, but the 34-year-old Californian hasn’t changed his mind heading into the biggest fight of his career to date.
“I don’t feel any difference,” Suarez said recently on UFC Unfiltered. “I feel like I’m starting another fight. It’s a new challenge for me. I’ve never had a five-round fight, so I’m really excited. But if there’s someone who can do it, It’s me.”
Suarez is used to long layoffs. After defeating Nina Nunes at UFC 238 in June 2019, she missed more than three years due to injury, but returned to the Octagon in 2023 with back-to-back wins over Montana de la Rosa and Andrade. The Millenia MMA president doesn’t expect her recent sideline activities to be hampered, in part because she consistently works at the gym.
“I don’t think about that,” Suarez said. “I only think about how I feel when I’m training. Just like when I’m sparring, as far as I’m looking at everything, my range is on point, my grappling is on point, my timing is good. I’m fighting. Whenever I’m away from the cage, it’s not like I’m sitting on the couch doing nothing. I’m always doing something, I’m always working out.”
Suarez was scheduled to face Amanda Lemos and Vilna Jandirova this year, but ultimately withdrew from both bouts due to injury. However, she also claims that she was ready to face Chan during their scheduled bouts in February and December, respectively.
“When you’re at the top of the division, it somehow becomes very difficult to play matches. There aren’t that many opponents,” Suarez said. “When I was healthy, everyone was already in the top 10…I challenged her to a fight. I wanted to fight Weili in August or September, but she was the champion. I was busy with my duties.”
Regardless of how she got here, Suarez expects to perform at a high level against the reigning strawweight queen at UFC 312.
“My mental strength is second to none, and I think that will be a big factor in the fight in general,” Suarez said. “When a bright light shines, so do I. I always rise to the occasion.”
