Namajunas’ Nightmare

Tatiana Suarez is officially on the comeback trail.

It was announced this past week (Fri., Jan. 6, 2023) that Suarez’s first fight in three and a half years goes down at UFC Vegas 70 on Feb. 25, 2023. Standing in The Ultimate Fighter 23 (TUF) winner’s way will be a fellow TUF alum, Montana De La Rosa.

The undefeated Suarez (8-0) rose to prominence as a Strawweight, but makes her return at Flyweight with the intention of putting her full focus on training rather than worrying about any weight cutting. After an expected win over De La Rosa, Suarez has former two-time Strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas, in her sights

“I wouldn’t mind making that my next fight at 125 if I’m being honest,” Suarez told The Schmo. “I would love that fight at any weight class. I do believe that I could beat her, 100 percent. I think that my grappling’s just so superior to her grappling, and I think I’d make it a nightmare for her in either weight class. I’d be strong at 125 or 115.”

Suarez originally hoped to return sooner than she is, but felt she may have pushed herself a bit too hard, aggravating her knee. Ideally, the talented wrestling sensation comes out unscathed on Feb. 25 then gets back in the Octagon for July’s International Fight Week event before closing things out at the end of the year New York show.

Pursuit of double champion status is possible for Suarez. Ultimately, she’ll worry about that after claiming the Strawweight strap first.

“I think that’s my true weight class,” Suarez told Helen Yee of Strawweight. “When I wrestled, I wrestled at 121 [pounds]. So, I’ve always been on the lower side, like 125 maybe. I’m not gonna really cut any weight for this fight, which is good. So, I won’t have to really worry about my weight or anything like that. Everything is going to be about training really hard and being safe. I think that’s important right now because I don’t want to be breaking my body down to make the weight.

“Right now, it’s just about focusing on my return and doing what I love to do, which is training,” she concluded.