From China to the Sphere, Tatiana Suarez Vows to Submit Zhang Weili in UFC Title Fight

Suarez was 'shocked' to see the Chinese champion not mention her name after UFC 300 title defense.

Aug 5, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tatiana Suarez (blue gloves) celebrates the win by / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Tatiana Suarez is keeping that 'anytime, anywhere' mentality, so long as she gets a shot at the title.

The undefeated UFC Strawweight was about a win away from fighting for gold against Zhang Weili when tragedy struck. Scheduled to face Yan Xiaonan in a title eliminator bout at UFC 298, Suarez was forced to withdraw due to injury as Xiaonan was given the opportunity of a lifetime.

It was China vs. China in the co-main event of UFC 300 and while Xiaonan gave Zhang a run for her money in the striking department, she was utterly outmatched on the ground and lost a unanimous decision to the champion.

Xiaonan's performance had her drop to #2 in the rankings with Suarez emerging as the new #1 contender without even having to fight. While a title opportunity is all but official, the 10-0 fighter may have earned her shot through submitting former champ Jessica Andrade last August.

When asked about a potential title defense against Suarez, Zhang wouldn't exactly commit or build up a fight against her or any other contender at 115lbs.

"I absolutely feel all the top 5 and top 10 girls, they can be potential challengers but for now I want to just take a break and rest," Zhang said at the UFC 300 post-fight press conference.

In a time where it's the norm to call out other fighters (especially in title fights), Suarez was surprised to see Zhang leave her name completely out of her post-fight interviews.

"I'm shocked, especially because I saw her almost every single day, because she didn't say my name," Suarez told ESPN MMA. "I'm not saying anything [negative]. I just think that I would be in her mind just because I did see her so often. I am now ranked #1 at strawweight. I just feel like that that matchup actually makes sense to me at this point. At first, I was like, well, there's other [contenders] but then I really looked at the lineup and everybody, like, Virna [Jandiroba] just beat only number 10.

"I finished Jessica Andrade. And not only did Virna beat #10, she decisioned #10. I finished Jessica Andrade and even before that, I felt like I was pretty dominant. I had a really good performance, and I thought where the division is right now, it just made sense because of where the division is."

Andrade isn't the only high-caliber fighter worth mentioning on Suarez's resume. The 'TUF 23' Champion has beaten the likes of current and former champions such as Alexa Grasso and Carla Esparza as well. That's why, among other things, Suarez thinks it's a no-brainer she should fight Zhang Weili for the strawweight title next.

"They need someone to to fight for that title, and why not somebody who's undefeated, has an amazing story, strong grappler and something that she really hasn't faced yet," Suarez argued. "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. So, why not put her against somebody that could do just that? Not only that, but I'm undefeated in the division. You don't have anybody in the division that's undefeated at the top. So, I think that it just makes a fun matchup, and I hope that it happens."

"I get a submission 100%," Suarez said of her early prediction for the fight. "I think that I will sub her."

Where would the potential strawweight title fight take place? If Suarez had it her way, it'd be at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC 306. The special one-of-a-kind event is scheduled for Sep. 14 on Mexican Independence Day weekend. Although, the Californian wouldn't mind making out the trip to unfamiliar territory in Zhang Weili's home country of China.

"I heard they're gonna be in 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 good fight to have. Knowing Weili, she might learn, she might like spit out some things in Spanish and just make it even better. Everybody's gonna love her and she's everybody's gonna like me, and and so then it'll be a great fight to have on the card.

"I don't care as long as I get a title shot," Suarez said, when asked about fighting in China. "I think it would be awesome, too. I don't know how the Chinese fans are because I've never been there."

Should Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez be next on the agenda at women's strawweight?

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