

“I’m just going to do what I have to do and take care of business,” said Tatiana Suarez ahead of her match against Strawweight queen Zhang Weili at UFC 312. However, when the time came, the Chinese superstar proved that there are levels to this game. In a hard-fought five-round battle, ‘Magnum’ dragged Suarez into deep waters and tested her mettle. In the end, Weili retained her title. However, Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan were not impressed, as they believed Suarez’s knee might have given out in the middle of the fight.
Going into the fight, Tatiana Suarez was confident that her wrestling would be the key to victory. However, as soon as the cage door closed on Australian soil, Zhang Weili proved why she was the queen of the strawweight division. Despite starting the opening round with a slow-paced attack, Weili went on to dominate the wrestling-heavy Suarez throughout all four rounds. The judges scored the card (49-46, 49-46, 49-45). Despite the odds against her Weili did manage to earn his victory. Interestingly, Daniel Cormier asserted that Suarez’s knee gave up in the middle of the fight and he believed that it was pre-existing from her previous surgery.
In addition to that Joe Rogan had his own analogy, the multi-million dollar podcaster emphasized that he thought this fight would be close but he is rather impressed by Zhang Weili, “My feeling I thought this would be the toughest fight that Zhang Weili has stylistically but I’m so impressed “
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Tatiana Suarez’s knee after round 2 😳 #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/VbiUoLhtI1
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 9, 2025
Midway through Round 2 at UFC 312, Suarez suffered a deep cut on her right leg after making contact with the fence. The broadcast captured the gruesome gash between rounds, but despite the injury, she battled on against the reigning women’s pound-for-pound queen. The cut was rather painful as the swelling made it even worse.
It must be noted that Suarez was on a hiatus specifically due to the fact that the fighter was healing from knee surgery and as she had injured her knee all over again, the UFC might have to put her on the bench for some time. Interestingly, it must be noted that the fighter has a history of injuries.
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Tatiana Suarez fought two times in five years with more than 1000 days of gaps
Before embracing her MMA journey, Suarez fought a battle that was much more braver than anything. Dreaming of an Olympic medal, Suarez was the frontrunner for the 2012 games but life had other plans as he suffered a severe neck injury which sidelined her from the tournament. However, that was only the beginning of her battle as after several medical scans, the doctors revealed that she was prone to thyroid cancer.
What’s your perspective on:
Did Zhang Weili truly dominate, or did Suarez's knee injury skew the fight's outcome?
Have an interesting take?
Ref͏usi͏ng to be defe͏ated,͏ she tackled the ͏disease he͏ad-on͏, undergoing treatment and emerging stronger than ever. Her r͏e͏lentless spirit led her to m͏ixed ͏martial arts, where an impres͏sive 3-0 st͏art earned her a spot ͏on The Ultimate Figh͏ter S͏eason 23—setting the s͏t͏a͏ge for a͏ new chapter in h͏er journey of resi͏li͏en͏ce.
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Pushing forward in her career, the Covina, California native suffered her first injury after her fifth consecutive victory inside the Octagon where she defeated Nina Nunes after settling score with future and former champion Alexa Grasso and Carla Esparza. The victory cemented her status as the next title contender but she had to take a step back from her career due to neck injury and was inactive for two years.
Upon returning to the Octagon, Suarez defeated Montana De La Rosa and Jessica Andrade back-to-back to cement her status as the next contender in the line. However, her dreams were shattered when she faced Weili at UFC 312. Regardless, the fighter will bounce back from her defeat as this is just the start of her career, what are your thoughts on the fight? State your opinion in the comments below.
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Debate
Did Zhang Weili truly dominate, or did Suarez's knee injury skew the fight's outcome?