Tatiana Suarez Sends Strong Promise Ahead Of Expected 2023 Comeback

Long-sidelined UFC strawweight Tatiana Suarez has entered the new year with a strong message as she targets a comeback to the Octagon. While the women’s roster has continued to expand and grow, especially at strawweight with Zhang Weili rising to…

Long-sidelined UFC strawweight Tatiana Suarez has entered the new year with a strong message as she targets a comeback to the Octagon. While the women’s roster has continued to expand and grow, especially at strawweight with Zhang Weili rising to the top and Rose Namajunas, Yan Xiaonan, and Marina Rodriguez occupying top spots, one missing…

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Tatiana Suarez plans first UFC outing in almost 4 years, eyes February comeback at flyweight limit

Tatiana SuarezFormer strawweight top-contender, Tatiana Suarez still retains plans to make a triumphant Octagon return despite a slew of debilitating injuries – with sights now fixed on making her first UFC appearance in almost four years in February next, in a return to the flyweight division. Suarez, who boasts an undefeated 8-0 record, won The Ultimate […]

Tatiana Suarez

Former strawweight top-contender, Tatiana Suarez still retains plans to make a triumphant Octagon return despite a slew of debilitating injuries – with sights now fixed on making her first UFC appearance in almost four years in February next, in a return to the flyweight division.

Suarez, who boasts an undefeated 8-0 record, won The Ultimate Fighter 23 at the strawweight limit back in 2016, however, a slew of injuries has seen the Californian limited to just four Octagon appearances in the last six years.

A dominant wrestling talent, the highly-touted Tatiana Suarez has yet to feature under the Dana White-led banner since UFC 238 back in June 2019, defeating Nina Nunes in a unanimous decision effort on that occasion. 

In the time since, Suarez has been plagued by a series of debilitating neck and knee injuries – with a knee injury ruling her from a scheduled return at UFC 266 back in September of last year against the now-retired Roxanne Modafferi at the flyweight limit.

Tatiana Suarez eager to book February return to the UFC

Planning a return to the Octagon in a bid to snap an extended hiatus, Suarez confirmed on her official Instagram account how she was planning a return at the flyweight limit once more, and as soon as February next.

Tatiana Suarez

4-0 since her Ultimate Fighter season win over Amanda Cooper back in 2016, Tatiana Suarez has dispatched Viviane Pereira, and finished both flyweight contender, Alexa Grasso, and former two-time strawweight champion, Carla Esparza. 

Suarez had previously competed at the flyweight weight limit in her first professional outing back in 2014, winning the Gladiator Challenge flyweight crown against Tyra Parker. In the time since, Suarez has competed exclusively at the strawweight limit of 115lbs. 

En route to her TUF tournament win back in 2014, Suarez defeated the trio of Chel-c Bailey, JJ Aldrich, and Kate Jackson before her finale win against Cooper.

Tatiana Suarez Reveals When Her Next UFC Fight Will Be

Unbeaten MMA fighter Tatiana Suarez’s UFC return appears to be set for early next year following a nearly four-year absence. Suarez has battled injury issues over the past few years, including a nagging neck issue. Her last UFC fight took place a…

Unbeaten MMA fighter Tatiana Suarez’s UFC return appears to be set for early next year following a nearly four-year absence. Suarez has battled injury issues over the past few years, including a nagging neck issue. Her last UFC fight took place at UFC 238 against Nina Nunes, winning via a unanimous decision. Suarez, a two-time…

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Tatiana Suarez Reveals Strange Rule For TUF Contestants 

The Ultimate Fighter 23 winner Tatiana Suarez has recalled her time on the reality show, and revealed an interesting rule that was in place for contestants. Suarez established her name in the UFC after completing a journey from the number one pick for Cláudia Gadelha’s team to the overall strawweight victor. She accomplished that feat…

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The Ultimate Fighter 23 winner Tatiana Suarez has recalled her time on the reality show, and revealed an interesting rule that was in place for contestants.

Suarez established her name in the UFC after completing a journey from the number one pick for Cláudia Gadelha’s team to the overall strawweight victor. She accomplished that feat through season wins against Chel-c Bailey, JJ Aldrich, and Kate Jackson, and a first-round submission victory over rival Amanda Cooper at the 2016 finale.

In the subsequent years, Suarez continued her dominance in the Octagon, extending her promotional record to 5-0, a slate that includes successes against Alexa Grasso and Nina Nunes, as well as now-reigning strawweight titleholder Carla Esparza.

While injuries have stalled her rise towards championship glory, keeping her on the sidelines since 2019, the 31-year-old is preparing to return to action later this year. And while discussing her impending comeback during an appearance on The Schmozone podcast, Suarez harked back to the show that brought her to the big leagues.

When asked whether her series included any extra drama beyond what was aired, Suarez recalled it being a relatively low-key season in terms of feuds, aside from her own animosity towards eventual fellow finalist Cooper.

“There was no drama in our season really. Besides the fact that I did not like Amanda Cooper, there was really no drama,” said Suarez. “There was none. The only thing that happened was in the very beginning Amanda got upset, she was like, ‘You’re going hard.’ I was like, ‘I do everything hard, what’d you want me to do?’”

It appears that was despite the producers’ best efforts.

Suarez went on to state that as well as not having access to televisions, contestants weren’t even permitted to read unless for religious purposes. That, the Californian said, was to encourage them to interact with each other and potentially produce more back and forth that could be aired.

“Yeah, you can’t watch TV, you can’t read books. Just the bible or the Quran or something. Nope, no books,” revealed Suarez. “They do it because they obviously want you to interact with each other. So, if you’re frustrated because you can’t watch TV, you go and fight with the nearest person, or just talk to the nearest person. Obviously, that makes for good TV.”

While TUF, which is largely credited for sparking the UFC’s growth, has certainly lost some of its sting and popularity in recent editions, fans will fondly remember the early days of the show and the talent it bred, even up to the 23rd season.

Suarez will look to establish herself as the show’s greatest alum when she returns to action, something she’ll go a long way to doing if she can achieve her champ-champ ambitions down the line.

What do you make of this TUF rule?

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Suarez: I Can’t Imagine Fighting Like Namajunas Did In A Title Bout

Tatiana Suarez was not impressed with Rose Namajunas’ performance at UFC 274. There is a new strawweight champion in town, although she isn’t exactly new to being the champ. Carla Esparza was able to re-capture the gold at UFC 274 when she defeated Rose Namajunas for the second time in her career. Many were surprised…

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Tatiana Suarez was not impressed with Rose Namajunas’ performance at UFC 274.

There is a new strawweight champion in town, although she isn’t exactly new to being the champ. Carla Esparza was able to re-capture the gold at UFC 274 when she defeated Rose Namajunas for the second time in her career. Many were surprised by the way the fight went down including one woman who might be looking at a title shot herself soon, Tatiana Suarez.

“I think she (Namajunas) maybe got like, anxiety or something out there,” Suarez told The Schmo in an interview. “Did they tell her to pick it up during the fight? I just feel like there was no urgency. Like, I can’t imagine being in a world title fight and doing that little, and then at the end of the round, being like, ‘I won that round.’ I would not be confident. I’d be like, ‘Did I win that round, did I lose that round?’”

Namajunas lost to Esparza by split decision although she had come into the bout as the favorite. Namajunas was riding a three-fight winning streak that included winning the title and a hard-fought title defense against Zhang Weili. Now it appears that it will be Esparza who is on to face Weili after she recently defeated Joanna J?drzejczyk at UFC 275.

Suarez was barreling straight toward a title fight herself back in 2019 when she defeated Nina Nunes at UFC 238. Unfortunately for her, she was injured and has spent the last three years healing up.

Suarez was scheduled to face Roxanne Modafferi in her return in September for a flyweight bout but was injured again. She is hoping to return by the fall and with a few wins could possibly find herself back in the title picture. Suarez does in fact hold a win over the current champion Esparza.

Continue Reading Suarez: I Can’t Imagine Fighting Like Namajunas Did In A Title Bout at MMA News.

Tatiana Suarez Pinpoints Her Biggest Challenge Ahead Of UFC Return

Tatiana Suarez is gearing up for her long-awaited return to the UFC, but still has some challenges to overcome before stepping back inside the Octagon. Suarez, who has been touted by many as a sure-fire future champion since emerging victorious on season 23 of The Ultimate Fighter, has been out of action for three years….

Continue Reading Tatiana Suarez Pinpoints Her Biggest Challenge Ahead Of UFC Return at MMA News.

Tatiana Suarez is gearing up for her long-awaited return to the UFC, but still has some challenges to overcome before stepping back inside the Octagon.

Suarez, who has been touted by many as a sure-fire future champion since emerging victorious on season 23 of The Ultimate Fighter, has been out of action for three years.

Since extending her unblemished record to 8-0 with a victory over Nina Nunes in 2019, the Californian has been nursing an abundance of injuries, most recently knee damage that required surgery and forced her out of a planned return at UFC 266 last September.

Now, having moved within touching distance of the final checkpoint on her road to recovery, Suarez is looking ahead to her comeback.

Having initially targeted a summer appearance next month, a small setback has forced Suarez to push back her planned return, with September or October now looking more likely.

That may be a blessing in disguise, however, as it’s allowed her to pinpoint four potential opponents, with her sights being set on two July 2 matchups: Miesha Tate vs. Lauren Murphy and Jessica Eye vs. Maycee Barber.

In order to recover in time to face one of the victors, Suarez says it’s key that she controls her training and manages her knee appropriately, something she believes will be her biggest challenge ahead of a much-anticipated return.

“The other day, I was having a bad day and then I was like, ‘My knee is kinda swollen,’ and I was like, ‘I don’t really care.’ I was like, ‘I’m going to MMA grappling and I’m gonna beat everyone’s ass,’” Suarez said with a laugh “Then I went and I did just that. But I needed it,” said Suarez during an appearance on The Schmozone podcast.

“I just need to be smart… I think that’s gonna be the struggle for me, because I like to go crazy. So like, I have to just be calm and maybe (train) with people, especially right now, when I’m just coming back, where I can fully control everything and stuff like that,” added Suarez. “A lot of times, I’ll pick the best person in the room, the best guy, and all of a sudden we’re in hard scrambles. It’s just not ideal for my knee… I don’t need that right now. I need control.”

Having previously established herself as a contender at strawweight, where she recorded a victory over current queen Carla Esparza, Suarez will look to do the same when she makes her flyweight debut upon her return.

Although she believes in her abilities to attain champ-champ status, the 31-year-old has admitted to wanting to avoid a 115-pound weight cut when she makes her comeback. Should she feel comfortable at 125 pounds, perhaps strawweight success will be put on hold while the talented grappler targets Valentina Shevchenko’s gold first.

How do you think Tatiana Suarez will fare when she makes her return to the Octagon?

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