Tatiana Suarez got her UFC title shot and wants another one. For now, she is being patient.
Should her name get called as the victor after fighting Loopy Godinez at UFC 327 on Saturday in Miami, the strawweight contender might be a little more vocal about fighting for the belt again.
Titleholder Mackenize Dern of Huntington Beach hasn’t fought since October when she outpointed Virna Jandiroba for the vacant title – after champion Weili Zhang decided to move up to unsuccessfully challenge for Valentina Shevchenko’s flyweight crown – and would pose a tantalizing challenge for the Covina native.
“I’m about to be like, ‘Mackenzie, when I take you down, you’re not gonna hit me more than I hit you,’” Suarez, 35, said in an interview on Thursday. “‘So you have another thing coming. You ain’t gonna outstrike me on the ground like you did Virna.’”
Now living in Las Vegas, Suarez (12-1) has earned her stripes in the UFC ever since earning her contract after winning “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show in 2016. Amid a slew of injuries, Suarez went 7-0 in the UFC before running into Zhang in February 2025 at UFC 312 in Sydney.
She’s coming off a unanimous-decision victory over fellow former title challenger Amanda Lemos in September. Suarez admits coming into the fight “a little stressed” after her first loss and a lengthier layoff than preferred.
“I had taken a little bit of time off. A lot of times with these, because our weight class gets a little kind of tied up and stuff, sometimes we’re waiting around for fights and that’s not a good thing, especially when you’re at the top,” the former Northview High wrestling star said of her victory, which was scored 29-28 by all three judges. “So it kind of sucks. But that’s where I was and so I had a long layoff. I had just come off a loss, I was a little stressed, and then, you know, I was just trying to focus on what she did and less focus on what I needed to do.”
The defeat to Zhang was a setback, but not of a monstrous magnitude considering Suarez has overcome thyroid cancer and major knee and neck surgeries.
All three judges scored the opening round for Suarez. In the second round, Suarez suffered a freak injury when her right knee was gouged open against the cage during a takedown attempt.
“I just know that I felt it and then it hurt,” said Suarez, who had blood dripping down her leg. “And then all of a sudden, I looked down, and I was like, in the middle of the body lock. And then, I don’t know, I fell.”
In no way does Suarez point to the knee for the loss. Zhang is regarded as one of the top 115-pounders of all time and definitely took the fight to Suarez, winning the four final rounds.
Yet, it’s tough not to consider how the injury affected Suarez. After the fight, she received multiple stitches outside and inside her knee and her torn bursa sac was removed.
“I think for me, it was more mental. Yeah, it didn’t feel good when it was rubbing against the canvas. Like, I can deal with pain. I think for me I was nervous to get on my knee,” she said. “I was really messing with my head. And I was nervous. I was nervous that if I got on my knee, it might split more. I was genuinely concerned. I was like, ‘I don’t (expletive) know. What if it drags and it just pulls open?’ In my mind, I was cringing.”
No stranger to top competition, Godinez (14-5) rebounded from unanimous-decision losses to Jandiroba and Dern to outpoint Julia Polastri in March 2025 and former champ Jessica Andrade in August.
Suarez says Godinez, 32, has good striking and grappling, only she believes she’s better in all phases.
“It’ll come down to physicality. She’s very physical,” Suarez said. “She’s a very strong Mexican lady, just like me. Yeah, battle of the Mexicans. But I just know that I want to get my hand raised.”
UFC 327
When: Saturday
Where: Kaseya Center, Miami
How to watch: Paramount+ (prelims 2:30 p.m.; main card 6 p.m.)