BOSTON – Tatiana Suarez thinks she’s done enough for a shot at UFC gold.
The unbeaten contender has notched two finishes since returning from her injury layoff – a submission of Montana De La Rosa at flyweight, and a submission of former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade earlier this month.
UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) retained her title in a dominant performance against Amanda Lemos this past Saturday at UFC 292. Weili said she’s open to facing either Suarez (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) or Yan Xiaonan next.
“I’m hoping to get the title shot,” Suarez told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during a media scrum. “I just hope that I’m next. I have a seven-fight win streak right now in the UFC, so I’m hoping that can solidify. I know I had a layoff, but still, seven fights in a row.”
If Suarez isn’t next, she’s willing to take one more fight – preferably against a notable name.
“I don’t mind fighting again,” Suarez said. “I always like to fight. I like to fight anybody, but I definitely want to fight the bigger names, people that have either fought for titles or been title holders. That’s the only reason why I kept asking for Rose (Namajunas) because obviously she was a champion.
“Not that I have anything – they’re like, ‘You keep calling her out.’ No, I just want to fight the best of the best because that just shows that you’re the best when you beat them. So it’s like, why wouldn’t you want that challenge?”
