Undefeated Tatiana Suarez has not seen action inside the octagon since 2019. Due to a severe neck injury, the talented grappler has been forced to sit out for nearly four years.
Upcoming at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night: Krylov vs. Spann event, Suarez will compete in her highly anticipated comeback match against Montana De La Rosa. Originally in the UFC the US-born athlete competed in the strawweight division, but her next fight will be at flyweight. However, afterward, she wants to continue her career at strawweight and capture the world title in that weight class before looking back at the flyweight division.
Tatiana Suarez maps her UFC world title plans
Tatiana Suarez sports an unblemished 8-0 record in MMA. She also holds two bronze medals in world championship wrestling, in addition to her two gold medals in world Jiu Jitsu championship competitions.
In a pre-fight press conference, Tatiana Suarez mapped out her world title future in the UFC. She explained:
“I think I’m going to be a champion. I can’t wait to get the belt and then defend it as many times as I can. A lot of people like to focus on the whole double champ and whatever, but I think it’s really cool when you have a champion that’s so dominant in their division, and they defend multiple times. I want to defend my belt multiple times before I go up to flyweight and do all that stuff.”
Coming back after a severe injury, the 32-year-old explained how frustrating it has been to sit out for such a lengthy period. She said:
“It’s definitely been frustrating. If I was focused on my frustrations, I would probably never get here. Regardless of my frustrations, I made sure to stay motivated and just remember that I want to be the best in the world and that I have to have that mentality whether life is going my way or it’s not. Even after all those years when I was rehabilitating my neck, it was a struggle every single day, especially when you can’t do what you love.” [Transcript courtesy of MMA Junkie]