The Ultimate Fighter 23 winner Tatiana Suarez had long been considered the “uncrowned Queen” of the women’s strawweight division, and on Saturday at UFC 312, she had the chance to prove it opposite reigning champ Weili Zhang.
Zhang was on her second stint as the UFC’s 115lb champ, with the only losses of her career coming to “Thug” Rose Namajunas, and early on, future ONE Championship fighter Meng Bo. Suarez, meanwhile, was a perfect 10-0, but had fought sporadically due to injury since her TUF 23 win back in 2016.
Without question, there were doubts about Suarez coming in, especially given she hadn’t fought since 2023. The American had the clear edge in size, however, and when they came together less than a minute in and clinched up at center, Suarez was able to drag the champ down. That put Suarez in side control, though she’d end up back in half-guard after a moment. Still, on top, with ample time to work, and nowhere near the fence. And Suarez took full advantage. While she wasn’t able to do much damage, she was able to maintain the position, working her way back to side control slowly and methodically. Zhang would finally scramble to her feet with just over a minute to go, but Suarez had her neck, and jumped into a guillotine.
Zhang, however, was not in any danger, and fought off both that, and a subsequent guillotine choke attempt, finishing the round on top.
Opening the second, Suarez came out sporting some damage to one eye, though it was unclear what had actually caused it. 40 seconds in, Suarez shot in for the takedown, blasting into a double-leg, and locking her hands. Suarez stayed on it, landed it, but Zhang reversed and got right on top! Suarez trapped a leg to defend, preventing Zhang from moving to mount. Still, the challenger was in a bad spot, and her knee was busted open and bleeding, some nasty mat burn (later proving to be a cut from the fence). Zhang, meanwhile, was able to unleash some nasty punches before Suarez powered up, and once up, Suarez had to defend a guillotine.
From there, the pair traded knees in the clinch before moving back to center. Zhang connected with a big 1-2, the right hand landing clean. Suarez, meanwhile, had spent a lot of energy early, and went in on another takedown attempt, closing a lot of distance. She managed to get a body lock, but Zhang fought her off, leading to Suarez falling to her back, Zhang on top. Zhang would be smothering on top and end the round there.
The third frame saw Suarez open with a leg kick; Zhang walked her down, her standup now a much bigger threat with Suarez tiring. A right hand connected flush for Zhang, stopping Suarez in her tracks but not dropping her! She immediately shot in on a takedown, but didn’t have it. Another weak attempt followed, with Suarez getting to her knees then standing back up, going in on another takedown. That didn’t land either; instead, Suarez hit a knee to the body, but Zhang fired back a more effective punch over the top off the break.
Suarez’s takedowns were now beginning to reek of desperation. Too far out, not enough behind them. Zhang’s boxing and footwork were looking crisp in comparison, and she was starting to load up on her punches. In a clinch, the champ connected with an elbow. Suarez had almost certainly won the opening round, but it had been all Zhang since.
Heading into the championship rounds, body language was telling. Zhang was quickly to her feet to answer the bell; Suarez was slouched over on her stool and came out slowly. Zhang started in similar fashion to how she ended the third, connecting clean. She then landed an inside trip for a key takedown, and suddenly, the champ was in half-guard, threatening to pass. Tatiana Suarez, meanwhile, was left playing defense in a round she desperately needed to win.
Zhang would lock in an arm-triangle choke near the midway mark of the round, but couldn’t step over, and eventually lost the submission. Still, Suarez was in a bad spot, nowhere near getting to her feet, and offering nothing off her back. She finished the round there, and went back to her corner where he team tried to fire her up for a final five minute push.
Weili Zhang needed no such motivation. She was already fired up, raising her arms, getting the crowd cheering. Suarez, meanwhile, seemed concerned with the gash on her knee, which had apparently come from the fence, and was rather nasty.
Zhang connected with an elbow to start round five, then fought off a Suarez takedown, hopping on one leg and showing impressive balance. Suarez would return to that well again and again, but it appeared the well had run dry. When they did go down, it was Zhang in dominant position, threatening with a choke. Suarez survived that, but Zhang nearly had a rear-naked choke in place again moments later. And that allowed her to transition to top position, in half-guard threatening to pass. Suarez, on her back, blood framing her face, was spent. The only question, with 90 seconds left, was whether Weili Zhang would find a finish.
As it turned out, they would go the distance, with Weili Zhang retaining her women’s strawweight championship, ending any talk of an “uncrowned Queen.”
Official Result: Weili Zhang def. Tatiana Suarez by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
