Tatiana Suarez eyeing UFC return in February after injury plagued four-year layoff

One of many UFC’s most intriguing feminine contenders is eyeing a return for 2023.

Following a close to four-year layoff on account of accidents, undefeated wrestler Tatiana Suarez revealed this week that she is lastly closing in on her UFC comeback. In response to a fan asking about her subsequent combat, Suarez wrote on Instagram that she is focusing on a return bout in February at 125 kilos.

A 32-year-old winner of The Final Fighter 23, Suarez holds a 5-0 file within the UFC since her 2016 debut however has not fought since a June 2019 victory over Nina Nunes. Her street again has been irritating, as a wide range of neck and knee accidents have prevented Suarez from fulfilling the potential she showcased early in her profession — potential which had many within the MMA group forecasting her to be a future UFC strawweight champion.

Suarez regarded each bit the a part of a title contender in her few UFC appearances. Her finest performances got here in 2018 within the type of back-to-back stoppage victories over Alexa Grasso and Carla Esparza, the previous of which ended by way of first-round rear-naked choke, and the latter of which noticed Suarez dominate a former two-time UFC champion together with her grappling and ground-and-pound en path to an eye-opening third-round TKO win.

“I believe I’ve the talents to [be a two-division UFC champion],” Suarez said this past April. “I believe folks at all times say, ‘You may have a number of the finest wrestling,’ or ‘You’re the most effective wrestlers on the market. You may be the most effective.’ One-hundred %, no doubt in my thoughts, I’m one of the best wrestler in ladies’s MMA. From featherweight to strawweight, I consider I may beat anybody in wrestling by way of that ability set. I believe that’s one thing that may get me two belts simply because I’m far forward in that self-discipline.”