UFC 310 Loses Massive Fight With Championship Implications

A major blow has been dealt to the UFC 310 card.

Christopher De Santiago | Oct 21, 2024

Jul 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; A view of the octagon before Rose Namajunas (red gloves) fights Tracy Cortez (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Ball Arena. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

One top UFC contender can't seem to catch a break.

UFC 308 Report: Top Prospect Pulled from Undercard

UFC 310 Title Eliminator Scrapped

Presumably a sole win away from a UFC title shot, #1 Strawweight contenderTatiana Suarez has hit yet another bump in her long and lengthy road to gold ahead of her scheduled return this Winter. Suarez, 33, had been booked to meet #3-ranked Virna Jandiroba at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 in what would've been arguably her most important fight to date

But, everything doesn't always go according to plan with Suarez reportedly having to withdraw from the matchup due to injury, according to MMA Melotto; Suarez has since said she is not injured on 'X' but the fight still appears to be off according to an additional report from MMA Mania.

I did not get injured. I’m curious where you heard this. Why would you put this out there?
— Tatiana Suarez (@tatianaufc) October 22, 2024

This is the second time Suarez vs. Jandiroba has been cancelled with Jandiroba pulling out of their original booking planned for August of last year.

Fontes próximas nos confirmaram que a americana Tatiana Suarez, #1 dos 52kg do UFC, sofreu uma lesão, e a luta contra a #3 Virna Jandiroba, prevista para acontecer no UFC 310, foi cancelada.

É a segunda vez que a luta é desfeita - Virna deixou a luta na primeira oportunidade. pic.twitter.com/lPU5nkkNhu
— MMA Melotto (@MMAmelotto) October 21, 2024

Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Suarez (10-0) has only fought six times since winning a UFC contract through season 23 of 'The Ultimate Fighter' in 2016 with injuries and surgeries to blame for the American's absence from the Octagon.

The road to recovery is never easy but Suarez has been here before, overcoming a battle with cancer and nursing a broken neck back to health - stories covered in her own HBO documentary "The Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez", which came out in January.

She’s overcome it all. Now it’s her time.

The Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez premieres January 31 on @StreamOnMax. pic.twitter.com/pQeQlEtSEY
— HBO Documentaries (@HBODocs) January 17, 2024

The Strawweight Title Picture

As for the UFC's strawweight division, the weight class is put into a bit of a question as Suarez vs. Jandiroba would have more than likely produced strawweight champ Zhang Weili's next challenger. Zhang successfully defended her title against Yan Xiaonan earlier this year at UFC 300 and it's a mystery on when she will return.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

With Tatiana Suarez on the sidelines oncemore, is her original opponent Virna Jandiroba deserving of the next title shot against Zhang Weili? The Brazilian's definitely made a case, winning four in a row, last submitting former title challenger Amanda Lemos in her first UFC main event spot back in July.

Another potential outcome of this fight's cancellation could be that Tatiana Suarez has been promoted from a #1 contender fight to a championship opportunity against Zhang Weili instead, but of course this is only a theory.