This past Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC Nashville, we saw a pivotal matchup in the strawweight division. Former champion Jessica Andrade (24-12) was looking to snap a two-fight losing streak while Tatiana Suarez (10-0) was looking to remain unbeaten.
When the fight started, I wondered how long it would take Suarez to shoot for a takedown. It actually took longer than expected to see her go for a shot. She stayed on the feet for a while with Andrade and she was really landing some decent kicks to the body.
However, in the latter parts of the round, she did go to her wrestling and landed some takedowns. In the second round, she went to her wrestling a little quicker and landed another takedown. Andrade forced a scramble, but upon forcing the scramble, Suarez locked in a guillotine.
Andrade did everything she could to get out, but the squeeze was too much. She was forced to tap and give Suarez her third win over a current or former UFC champion.
UFC Title Shot Next?
In a couple of weeks, Zhang Weili and Amanda Lemos will be fighting for the UFC strawweight title. You have to imagine that Tatiana Suarez is going to be a very interested observer. After being away for nearly four years due to injuries, Suarez has returned in full force with two submission wins this year.
So, on the heels of this win, has she done enough to get a title shot. Well, the answer is a strong maybe. It all depends on a number of factors. The other worthy top contender is China’s Yan Xiaonan. If Zhang Weili successfully defends against Amanda Lemos at UFC 292, I could definitely see the promotion going with Yan to have an all-Chinese title fight.
It would especially be huge if they could put it together for a fight card in China. However, if that can’t get done, I think more people are interested in Suarez fighting for the title. Now, if the winner of the title fight is going to be out for a while, it might make sense to have Xiaonan and Suarez fight for the right to take on the UFC strawweight champion.