In the co-main event of UFC 300, Zhang Weili defended her strawweight title in an all-Chinese matchup against Yan Xioanan, then number one contender. After the loss to Weili, Xioanan dropped to second in the rankings as the undefeated Tatiana Suarez leapfrogged her to occupy first place.
With no other worthy contenders in the division, Suarez would likely be next in line to challenge the Chinese champion. Nicknamed “Female Khabib”, Suarez has only shown dominance in her 7-fight UFC career, of which 5 ended in a finish. Suarez was recently interviewed by Helen Yee Sports, where the undefeated fighter spoke in-depth about her championship aspirations and how she matches up with Weili.
“I feel like I have the advantage, definitely, like in the grappling department, you know? That’s like no secret, I think most people know that I’m a good grappler,” said Suarez, who was glad that she got to see Weili fight five rounds against Xioanan.
Suarez went on to state she would finish Weili by submission, as she plans to exploit Weili’s alleged weakness in grappling. With notable victories over Carla Esparza, Alexa Grasso, and Jessica Andrade, Suarez already has wins over ex-champions or future champions in the UFC. Therefore, her prediction is not far-fetched.
Tatiana Suarez recently signed with Ali Abdelaziz’s Dominance MMA to fasttrack her UFC ambitions and the manager has already begun his work. Islam Makhachev, managed by Abdelaziz, already has a title fight lined up against Dustin Poirier and Suarez can expect the same later this year.
Tatiana Suarez previews Makhachev vs. Poirier
Islam Makhachev is scheduled to defend his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier, a former interim champion and two-time undisputed title challenger. The fight, which is the main event of UFC 302, will be held in Newark, New Jersey, on June 2.
Tatiana Suarez, a big fan of Makhachev and Poirier, previewed the lightweight title fight in her interview with Helen Yee. Like Suarez, Makhachev is an expert grappler and has used it to his strength but recently showed improved striking in his rematch with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294.
“It depends on how heavy grappling Islam (Makhachev) is, you know? Sometimes he gets a little comfortable on the feet, you know, giving an opportunity, but I’m thinking that Islam will still remain the champ,” said Suarez.
In addition to Poirier versus Makhachev, UFC 302 has an exciting co-main event, a middleweight fight between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa. The middleweights have already started their fight on social media but the PPV card is pretty top-heavy, as per Forbes.
Do you think Tatiana Suarez would become a champion in the UFC? Leave your prediction below!
