San Antonio, TX — Strawweight Tatiana Suarez returned to the win column at Noche UFC on Saturday, where The Ultimate Fighter 23 winner defeated fellow ex-title challenger Amanda Lemos by unanimous decision.
“She’s a very tough opponent,” Suarez (10-1) told Cageside Press and other media outlets following the bout. “I’m just glad to go, after a loss, to go and get this win against a tough opponent. And not to mention in the top five. I really wanted to stay in the top of my weight class, because I want to fight all the people that some people don’t want to fight. I gladly signed my name on that line and came in here and got a victory.”
Despite finding herself relegated to the preliminary card in San Antonio, there was no disrespect over card placement on the part of Suarez.
“No absolutely not. The only thing that kind of sucked about it is that I had to wake up a lot earlier just to get a shake out, and get my hair done,” she noted.
Suarez was already ranked #2 in the women’s 115lb division coming into Saturday night. With Weili Zhang vacating her title to pursue flyweight gold, Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern have been booked to fight for the now-vacant strawweight scrap. Suarez’s big win at Noche UFC could put her in a position to fight the winner.
“I just wanted to get a win today, and whatever happens after this, I’m excited to go ahead and do that,” she said backstage, noting that she has no specific names in mind for her next fight. “I’m just gaining more experience.”
Suarez also addressed the stop-and-go nature of a career that has seen extended absences due to injury.
“Everybody knows I’ve had a career where I took a lot of time off,” Suarez stated. She’s seen the comments of fans talking about her time away, but focuses on what she can do. “When I’m healthy, I will be there any time. And I will show up, and I will give it everything I have, because that’s who I am, and that’s who my mom taught me to be.”
“I just want to fight all the top girls in the division, and continue to prove myself and gain more experience every single time, so that the next time I step in there for that belt, I’m ready and I’m prepared, and I go and become that world champion that I know I can be.”
Watch the full Noche UFC post-fight press conference with Tatiana Suarez above.
