Tatiana Suarez announces UFC return, will move up to flyweight

Former Ultimate Fighter winner Tatiana Suarez has announced her return to the UFC and says she will be moving up to the flyweight division.

Suarez won TUF in 2016 and quickly went 5-0 in the Octagon, with wins over the likes of Carla Esparza and Nina Nunes, as she jumped to the top of the women’s strawweight contender rankings. However, Suarez has not fought since June 2019 due to a neck injury, and she was recently removed from the 115lbs rankings due to inactivity. Now that she’s finally healthy again, Suarez is ready to return to the Octagon, only this time she plans on coming back at a higher weight class as she has her eyes set on the flyweight division.

Speaking to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Suarez confirmed that she has finally been cleared to fight and said that she plans on coming back to the sport in the 125lbs women’s division.

“Maybe if I’m not cutting too much weight at all, I’ll be a little more stronger and explosive (at 125lbs),” Suarez said.

Not only is Suarez excited for her return to the Octagon, but she also believes it won’t be long until she is a title contender at 125lbs. Right now, UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko rules the division, but Suarez thinks that with her wrestling skills she might be the one fighter in the division that can give the champion Shevchenko problems.

“I do think I have a good skillset in terms of my wrestling [that] can give her trouble,” Suarez said.

It will be interesting to see who Suarez gets matched up with in her return. Looking at the division, a top-five opponent such as Katlyn Chookagian, who just won at UFC 262, would seem to make sense, as it would be a good test for her against a top contender.

Who do you want to see Tatiana Suarez fight in her return to the Octagon?