Tatiana Suarez calls for UFC 306 title fight with Zhang Weili at The Sphere in Las Vegas: ‘I think I get a submission’

Tatiana Suarez calls for title fight with Zhang Weili at UFC 306 at The Sphere I get the submissionTouted as a massive threat at the strawweight limit amid her triumphant return to action, unbeaten contender, Tatiana Suarez…

Tatiana Suarez calls for title fight with Zhang Weili at UFC 306 at The Sphere I get the submission

Touted as a massive threat at the strawweight limit amid her triumphant return to action, unbeaten contender, Tatiana Suarez has vowed to submit division champion, Zhang Weili in a future championship clash – calling for a slot on the UFC 306 card in September at the Las Vegas Sphere.

Suarez, the current number one ranked strawweight contender and victor of The Ultimate Fighter 23, turned in her seventh consecutive victory under the promotion’s banner back in August of last year at UFC Fight Night Nashville, turning in a stunning guillotine choke submission win over former division champion, Jessica Andrade.

Tatiana Suarez lands submission win over former champion Jessica Andrade UFC Nashville
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

The victory came as Suarez’s second of the year, following a prior submission success against Montana De La Rosa in February – which marked her first outing inside the Octagon in over four year following a torrid run of consecutive injury setbacks.

And with a firm eye on this month’s proceedings at UFC 300, Suarez watched on as the above-mentioned, Weili landed a one-sided decision win over compatriot, Yan Xiaonan in the pair’s historic title affair as part of the monumental card. 

Zhang Weili defends title in decision win war against Chinese compatriot Yan Xiaonan UFC 300 Highlights
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

Tatiana Suarez eyes UFC 306 title fight with Zhang Weili

Forced from a potential title-eliminator against another former title challenger, Amanda Lemos back in February at UFC 298, Suarez insists she’s ready for a championship chase against the incumbent, Weili – specifically at UFC 306 during Mexican Independence Day weekend.

Tatiana Suarez calls for UFC title shot I've done everything the UFC has asked
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

“They need someone to fight for the title, and why not somebody who’s undefeated, has an amazing story, strong grappler, and something that she (Zhang Weili) really hasn’t faced yet?” Tatiana Suarez told ESPN. “A tall, long, rangy person that actually has very good Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling – something that she’s really developed, and now she’s beating everybody with her wrestling.”

“I think I get a submission, 100 percent,” Tatiana Suarez explained. “I think I will sub her – either a submission or a TKO. I heard they’re [the UFC] going to China in August, but that’s not a pay-per-view card. So, I don’t know if maybe in September at The Sphere – that’d be amazing, especially because I am Mexican, and that’d be a good fight to have.” 

Who wins in a future title showdown: Zhang Weili or Tatiana Suarez?

7 Fights We Need to See After UFC 300

Saturday’s stacked UFC 300 card in Las Vegas was expected to be one of the biggest events in the promotion’s history, and in the end, it surpassed all…

Saturday’s stacked UFC 300 card in Las Vegas was expected to be one of the biggest events in the promotion’s history, and in the end, it surpassed all…

Zhang Weili defends title, defeats Chinese compatriot Yan Xiaonan in decision war – UFC 300 Highlights

Zhang Weili defends title in decision win war against Chinese compatriot Yan Xiaonan UFC 300 HighlightsRacking up the second successful defense of her strawweight title as part of her second undisputed reign atop the…

Zhang Weili defends title in decision win war against Chinese compatriot Yan Xiaonan UFC 300 Highlights

Racking up the second successful defense of her strawweight title as part of her second undisputed reign atop the division, Chinese star, Zhang Weili turned in a unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45) against compatriot, Yan Xiaonan in the pair’s historic championship co-main event clash at UFC 300.

Zhang Weili UFC 300 2
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Weili, the current undisputed strawweight champion, fought through some significant grappling scrambles throughout the distance of their 25 minute clash tonight at UFC 300, however, almost forced a buzzer-beating stoppage win at the end of the first frame.

Yan Xiaonan UFC 300

Locking up a rear-naked choke on Xiaonan, Weili appeared to choke out her countrywoman in the final seconds of the first round, only for Xiaonan to narrowly escape with her consciousness intact, as well as her status in the title fight co-headliner.

Zhang Weili defends title in decision win war against Chinese compatriot Yan Xiaonan UFC 300 Highlights
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

With the victory, Weili adds compatriot, Xiaonan to a winning run which consists of a prior title fight defense against Amanda Lemos last year — having toppled Carla Esparza in the pair’s championship fight with a dominant submission victory against the two-time champion.

Below, catch the highlights from Zhang Weili’s decision win over Yan Xiaonan

Custom UFC 300 fight shorts unveiled for Alex Pereira, Max Holloway, and more

Custom UFC 300 fight shorts unveiled for Alex Pereira, Max Holloway, and moreA handful of fighters at UFC 300 will be sporting a brand new look for the landmark event. On…

Custom UFC 300 fight shorts unveiled for Alex Pereira, Max Holloway, and more

A handful of fighters at UFC 300 will be sporting a brand new look for the landmark event.

On Saturday, April 13, Ultimate Fighting Championship will present its biggest event of the last 30+ years as 12 former or current world champions take center stage inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. There, a select few fighters will walk out wearing custom shorts, each one uniquely representing their fighter.

UFC 300 fight shorts

“The four unique fighters represented across this collection, each known for their unrivaled talent and global contributions to the sport, are set to perform on the best fight card ever assembled,” the Venum website stated.

The four fighters featured are defending UFC champions Alex Pereira and Zhang Weili along with BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje and his UFC 300 opponent, Max Holloway.

UFC 300 shorts

In the main event of the evening, Pereira will put his 205-pound title on the line for the first time against former champion Jamahal Hill. It will be Hill’s first time competing since suffering an Achilles injury in July 2023. ‘Sweet Dreams’ as the light heavyweight champion at the time, but was forced to vacate the built. He’ll look to reclaim the crown he never lost against one of the most dangerous strikers on the planet.

In the co-main event of the evening, strawweight world champion Zhang Weili will defend her strap against Yan Xiaonan in an all-Chinese clash.

UFC 300 shorts

In what has been dubbed “the people’s main event” of UFC 300, two-time lightweight title challenger Justin Gaethje puts up his bragging rights belt, the BMF title, against former featherweight world champion Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway in a bout that has Fight of the Night written all over it.

Check out the full lineup of fights at UFC 300 below:

UFC 300 Main Card

  • Alex Pereira(c) vs. Jamahal Hill – UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
  • Zhang Weili(c) vs. Yan Xiaonan – UFC Strawweight Championship
  • Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway – BMF Title Fight
  • Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan
  • Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage

UFC 300 Preliminary Card

  • Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar
  • Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm
  • Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes
  • Jalin Turner vs. Renato Moicano
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Jim Miller vs. Bobby Green
  • Cody Garbrandt vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
UFC 300

Video – The countdown to UFC 300 begins with an epic trailer hyping the historic fight card on April 13

Video - The countdown to UFC 300 begins with an epic trailer hyping the historic fight cardThe countdown to UFC 300 has begun! On Saturday, April 13, the Las Vegas-based promotion will present its next…

Video - The countdown to UFC 300 begins with an epic trailer hyping the historic fight card

The countdown to UFC 300 has begun!

On Saturday, April 13, the Las Vegas-based promotion will present its next big landmark event, UFC 300, live from the familiar confines of T-Mobile Arena in Sin City. To get fans hyped for one of the biggest fight cards in MMA history, Ultimate Fighting Championship has released an epic trailer featuring the card’s biggest names.

In the main event of the evening, reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will put his gold on the line against former titleholder Jamahal Hill. It will be Hill’s first time competing since he won the belt with a dominant performance against Glover Teixeira in January 2023. ‘Sweet Dreams’ was forced to vacate the title after sustaining an Achilles injury last summer, never having the opportunity to defend his crown.

That ultimately led to a clash between Pereira and former champion Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 to crown a new king of the division. ‘Poatan’ came out on top, scoring yet another highlight-reel knockout in the second round of their co-main event.

UFC 300

Strawweight champion Zhang Weili returns in the uFC 300 co-Main Event

In the UFC 300 co-headliner, strawweight world champion Zhang Weili puts it all on the line against Yan Xiaonan in a battle between two of China’s finest imports. Reclaiming the title with a second-round submission of Carla Esparza, at UFC 292, Zhang is fresh off an absolutely dominant performance against Amanda Lemos in her last outing.

She’ll look to deliver a similar result against Yan, a 17-3 fighter with noteworthy wins against Mackenzie Dern and Jessica Andrade in her last two outings.

UFC 300

And what is being touted as the people’s main event, BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje puts his bragging rights belt on the line against former featherweight champion Max Holloway in a battle between two of the greatest strikers in all of mixed martial arts.

Check out the full UFC 300 card below:

Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)

  • Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill
  • Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan
  • Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway
  • Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage
  • Charles Oliveira vs. Armen Tsarukyan

Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)

  • Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling
  • Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison
  • Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes
  • Jalin Turner vs. Renato Moicano
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller
  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt
UFC 300

Video – Zhang Weili heaps praise on Joanna Jedrzejczyk as UFC stars share wholesome embrace: ‘We are friends’

Zhang Weili reunites with Joanna Jedrzejczyk after UFC title fights we can be friends go for dinnerAmid their two-fight series, undisputed strawweight champion, Zhang Weili linked up with surefire future Hall of Fame inductee, Joanna…

Zhang Weili reunites with Joanna Jedrzejczyk after UFC title fights we can be friends go for dinner

Amid their two-fight series, undisputed strawweight champion, Zhang Weili linked up with surefire future Hall of Fame inductee, Joanna Jedrzejczyk as the two met up for dinner – reflecting on their memorable double salvo of fights under the UFC banner.

Weili, a two-time and current undisputed strawweight champion, most recently featured at UFC 292 last August, turning in a unanimous decision win over challenger, Amanda Lemos in a one-sided title fight defense.

Slated to make her return to the Octagon at UFC 300 in April, Weili takes on fellow Chinese contender, Yan Xiaonan in a historic all-Chinese clash – the first of its kind with a championship backdrop under the promotion’s banner.

As for Jedrzejczyk, the second-ever strawweight champion in the UFC, called time on her career following her rematch knockout loss to Weili back in 2022 in Singapore, closing the curtain on a stunning, gold-laden tenure with the organization.

Zhang Weili embraces with Joanna Jedrzejczyk

And reuniting in the year since their pair of high-profile back-and-forths, Weili and Jedrzejczyk embraced and shared memories of their rivalry – before going to dinner together.

“We are each other’s opponent in the cage,” Zhang Weili said alongside Joanna Jedrzejczyk in a video posted on her official Instagram account. “We all want to chase our dreams, to win the fight, but outside the Octagon, we are friends, we can have dinner together. We can talk to each other, we can be really good friends. So I’m really happy about it. JJ (Joanna Jedrzejczyk) is always a legend in my heart. She is always the champion – I want to learn from her.” 

Weighing up the potential of a shocking return to the sport just recently, Polish striking ace, Jedrzejczyk claimed she would love to hold strawweight gold one final time before ending her career. 

“I want to become the UFC strawweight champion one more time in my life,” Joanna Jedrzejczyk said. “And I know I’m on a mission. And I feel like I’m getting closer.”

Who wins at UFC 300 in April: Zhang Weili or Yan Xiaonan?