UFC 300 might just be the biggest pay-per-view of the year that Dana White has planned. But did he trample over some fighters’ plans to get to it? The strawweight division might just see a shakeup after the UFC 300 bout between Yan Xiaonan and the reigning champion Zhang Weili. But Weili’s opponent could have been someone else.

That’s right, the #2 ranked fighter, Tatiana Suarez, was well on her way to a title shot but apparently, the UFC ended up disrupting her plans. She could have fought Xiaonan to get a shot at the title but that never ended up happening. Why? Here’s her finally opening up about it.

Did Tatiana Suarez get thwarted by Dana White and Co.?

Tatiana Suarez recently appeared on the MMA Hour Show. Here, she opened up about the title opportunity that could have been hers. A fight between the top two ranked fighters in the strawweight division to determine a shot at Weili’s gold was what Suarez was promised in 2023.

However, according to her, the UFC wanted the fight to happen early on. Earlier than Suarez was ready for. The last time we saw her inside the cage was when she put a brilliant guillotine choke on Jessica Andrade and won her fight in August 2023. A fight for the title in October would have been way too early.

“I wouldn’t even have minded if me and [Yan Xiaonan] fought for [the title shot]. I was trying to get that fight, but [the UFC] was trying to get that fight done in October… They were trying to push me to fight a five-round fight within like four weeks… And then they end up doing it in April. I could have fought her. They were trying to rush everything, the timeline and everything. I’d be fighting on UFC 300,” she told Ariel Helwani.

A five-round fight that goes the distance would certainly not be the best thing for a fighter who fought less than 2 months ago. Now, Tatiana has lost her opportunity and if Weili ends up conceding her title, she’ll have to fight Xiaonan for it instead. Either way, the fighter has expressed her excitement for the upcoming bout and the prospects at play for her personally.

Suarez maintains high spirits

Even though disappointment has come her way, it looks like the undefeated UFC fighter keeps waking up on the good side of the bed. She could be well on her way to becoming champion so a little speed bump doesn’t hinder her aspirations. In the interview, Suarez showed nothing but positivity and enthusiasm.

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She wrote down a comment showing enthusiasm for both the fighters who will put up one of the most interesting bouts at UFC 300. It was nothing but excitement for the fight for her from here on out. Weili herself has proven her might as a champion multiple times now. She first lost her belt to Rose Namajunas but then ended up earning it back when she defeated Carla Esparza at UFC 281. Now, will she lose it to Xiaonan? We’ll know at UFC 300. What do you make of Suarez’s thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below.

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