Tatiana
Suarez isn’t taking much responsibility for her canceled fight
against Virna
Jandiroba.
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Suarez was scheduled to meet “Carcara” in a potential strawweight
title eliminator at UFC 310
in December 2024. However, the matchup fell through when Suarez
pulled out due to what was reportedly an unspecified health
issue.
Suarez has now opened up on the bout cancellation, partly hinting
that it was the UFC’s choice. According to Suarez, the UFC was
hesitant about the matchup at the last moment, as it would rob the
division of a potential contender. As Suarez challenges for the
115-pound title, she believes Jandiroba vs. Xiaonan Yan
at UFC
314 could decide the next contender.
“I just think the UFC wanted this fight instead,” Suarez told Shakiel Mahjouri. “I think at that point they
probably thought to themselves, ‘Why are we gonna remove another
contender?’ Because when I fight her, after that they can have
another contender. I think the fight is gonna Xiaonan Yan vs. Virna
Jandiroba. That potentially could be my [first] title defense when
I win the title. Unless [Weili] wants a rematch.”
Suarez returned to competition after a nearly four-year hiatus in
2023. She has since submitted Montana
De La Rosa and Jessica
Andrade, making it seven finishes in ten undefeated outings.
Suarez now challenges Weili Zhang
for the strawweight title in the co-main event at UFC 312
on Saturday at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Suarez
trusts her submission game enough to hope for a tap from
“Magnum.”
“I feel like I’m gonna submit her… I don’t have any rounds in mind
but I know I’m gonna submit her,” Suarez said. “I have an array of
submissions that most people don’t have. I can do a lot and lot of
chokes. As you’ve seen, I’ve had rear naked chokes, I’ve had
guillotines, I’ve had D’Arces. I’ve had an array of chokes. You
don’t see that especially in women’s MMA… I’m not just a wrestler,
I’m a great grappler.”