Tatiana Suarez Ready for Another Title Shot After Noche UFC Win: ‘I Fight for the Belt’
Tatiana Suarez is coming for another crack at UFC gold.
The one-time title challenger steps back inside the Octagon at Noche UFC for a high-stakes scrap with fellow top-five ranked strawweight contender Amanda Lemos. It will be Suarez’s first time competing since suffering a lopsided, unanimous decision loss against Zhang Weili at UFC 312 in February.
Despite the setback earlier this year, Suarez is still sitting as the second-ranked strawweight in the world, and believes a win over Lemos in San Antonio will potentially put her right back in line for a shot at the division’s top prize.
“I think this is gonna catapult me in the right direction to get another title shot,” Suarez told MMA Fighting. “I do want to fight Zhang again. I’m not sure what’s gonna happen if she wins. I’m hoping to fight her again. I hope that she eventually comes back down so that I can win the belt and then fight her again.”
Tatiana Suarez learned a lot from her Fight Against Zhang Weili
Perhaps helping Suaraez’s case for another title shot is the fact that Zhang Weili is no longer the UFC’s reigning strawweight queen. Last month, Dana White announced that ‘Magnum’ was vacating her 115-pound crown in a bid to move up and challenge flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 322.
As a result, Mackenzie Dern will meet Virna Jandiroba on October 25, with the winner leaving as the new strawweight titleholder.
“I learned a lot,” Suarez said of her fight against Zhang. “Overall, I just gained experience out there. More cage time, more experience, and I’m going to be a better fighter because of it. Now I’m focused on Saturday, and I’m looking forward to getting the victory. Next time when I fight for the belt I’ll have much more experience. When I face adversity, I’ll be well prepared.”
While earning another title shot is the ultimate goal, Suarez is more concerned with staying active.
“I don’t mind getting another win and then the title, or even if I have to fight two more, I just want to stay busy and continue my journey to becoming a champion,” Suarez added. “I don’t really care how many fights it is.”
Suarez is 10-1 in her mixed martial arts career, her only loss coming against Zhang.
As for Lemos, the Brazilian slugger is looking for her own ticket back to title town after she failed to unseat Zhang from the throne two years ago. Since then, ‘Amandinha’ has won two of her last three, including wins over Dern and Iasmin Lucindo.
