Tatiana Suarez Plans to Earn Title Shot, Wants to Fight ‘All the Great People’

Tatiana Suarez made her long-awaited return at UFC Fight Night 220, where she defeated Montana De La Rosa via second-round submission in a flyweight bout.

The long-term plan, however, is for Suarez to return to 115 pounds, where she established herself as a contender with wins over the likes of Alexa Grasso, Carla Esparza and Nina Nunes. Her career was put on hold due to injuries, and Satruday marked her first bout since June 2019.

“I think they should give me a really good opponent at strawweight and then I’ll earn [a title shot],” Suarez said at the UFC Fight Night 220 post-fight press conference. “I’ve never been given anything in my life. I’ve always earned it, and I don’t mind doing that. I think that builds character. You’ve got to work for the things that you get in your life. I don’t mind doing that because that’s how my mom and my grandma raised me to be. So I’m excited for whoever.”

While Suarez is willing to face anyone in the strawweight division, she targeted former champion Rose Namajunas as a potential opponent for her return to 115 pounds.

“I want to fight all the best people. I’m not scared to fight the best people, because that means I’m the best. So I would love to fight someone like Rose,” Suarez said. “She’s an amazing striker, she’s an amazing martial artist. She too has overcome a lot of things in her life and I respect her as a person. When I say I want to fight them, I’m not trying to be disrespectful. I just think that I want to fight all the great people. It’s out of respect that I want to do that. I feel like it’s an honor to share the cage with somebody.”

Ultimately, Suarez is happy to be back to active competition after a long time on the shelf. That means any opponent is a worthwhile challenge.

“I’m just excited,” she said. “I would love to fight somebody like Rose or whoever they give me. I’ve told multiple people I’d go down the entire roster if I could. I wouldn’t mind doing that. I just think it’s fun to fight.”