Tatiana Suarez will face the toughest test of her career when she returns to the cage this August.
Originally booked into a fight with Virna Jandiroba at UFC Nashville, Suarez (9-0) will instead face former women’s strawweight champ Jessica Andrade (24-11) in the evening’s co-main event.
Promotion officials announced the news in a press release distributed on Tuesday. No reason has been reported for Jandiroba’s removal from the fight.
Andrade will look to snap a two-fight skid in the bout, which has seen her lose to both Erin Blanchfield at flyweight, and Yan Xiaonan in her strawweight return last month. The ex-champ had been riding a three-fight win streak prior to those setbacks, while pulling double-duty in both the women’s strawweight and flyweight divisions.
Suarez returned to action in February, defeating Montana De La Rosa in a flyweight bout that marked her first fight since 2019. After overcoming multiple injuries, it appears that the undefeated Ultimate Fighter winner is looking to take the fast track to contendership.
UFC Nashville takes place August 5, 2023 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN, and is set to be headlined by bantamweights Corey Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov. The following fights have been reported/announced for the event:
- Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
- Jessica Andrade vs. Tatiana Suarez
- Tanner Boser vs. Aleksa Camur
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
- Said Nurmagomedov vs. Kyler Phillips
- Ode’ Osbourne vs. Asu Almabaev
- Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Jake Hadley
- Damon Jackson vs. Billy Quarantillo
- Ovince Saint Preux vs. Ion Cuțelaba
- Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Ľudovít Klein
- Sean Woodson vs. Steve Garcia
- Jeremiah Wells vs. Carlston Harris
