Tatiana Suarez steps into the biggest fight of her MMA career coming off one of the biggest layoffs she’s ever experienced.
Yet, despite the less-than-ideal circumstances, Suarez is not worried one bit.
Suarez (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), a longtime UFC women’s strawweight contender, challenges champion Zhang Weili (25-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC 312 on Feb. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
It’s been a long time coming. Suarez long has been considered by many as one of the top fighters in the division, but she also had a 3.5-year layoff from 2019-2023.
“I don’t feel any different, I just feel like it’s another fight,” Suarez told UFC Unfiltered. “It’s another challenge for me. I’m really excited because I’ve never had a five-round fight. But if anybody can do it, it’s me.”
The last time Suarez was seen in the cage was August 2023 when she submitted former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade. She fought twice that year after her lengthy layoff.
Some fighters who experience subpar performances after going through a long period of inactivity often refer to that effect as “ring rust.” But that’s not something that’s crossed Suarez’s mind.
“I don’t think about that stuff,” Suarez said. “I just think about the way I feel when I train. As long as I see everything, just like I do in sparring, my range is right, my grappling is on point, my timing is good. Whenever I’m out of fighting, like I’m not in the cage, I’m not sitting on the couch doing nothing. I’m always doing something, always working out.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.
