# Tatiana Suarez
**Tatiana Suarez** (born Tatiana Yadira Suarez Padilla, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist competing in the UFC's women's strawweight division, where she holds a record of 13 wins and 1 loss and is ranked #2 at strawweight and #9 pound-for-pound on the UFC's official rankings.[1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez) • [2](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/63005-tatiana-suarez) A former elite freestyle wrestler whose Olympic career was ended by thyroid cancer at age 20, she won Season 23 of *The Ultimate Fighter* and fought for the UFC strawweight title in February 2025.[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarez-its-long-way-top-ufc-312) • [4](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarezs-moment-finally-arrives-ufc-312)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 13-1-0 professional; 2 wins by knockout, 7 by submission, 4 by decision[1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez) |
| Division and ranking | Women's strawweight (115 lb); UFC rankings #2 at strawweight, #9 pound-for-pound[1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez) |
| Physical | 5'5" (165 cm), 66-inch reach; born 1990; fights out of Rancho Cucamonga, California, with Millennia MMA[2](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/63005-tatiana-suarez) |
| Wrestling career | Silver and bronze at 59 kg at the World Junior Championships in 2007 and 2008; bronze at 55 kg at the World Championships in 2008 and 2010[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarez-its-long-way-top-ufc-312) |
| TUF 23 | Won Season 23 of *The Ultimate Fighter* in 2016, submitting Amanda Cooper with a first-round D'Arce choke[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarezs-moment-finally-arrives-ufc-312) |
| Title fight | Lost a five-round unanimous decision to Zhang Weili in a strawweight title bout at UFC 312 on February 8, 2025[1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez) |
| Notable wins | Finishes of three former champions: Alexa Grasso, Carla Esparza, and Jéssica Andrade[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarezs-moment-finally-arrives-ufc-312) |
## Wrestling background
Suarez started wrestling at age 3, inspired by watching the 12-year-old wrestler Marcie Van Dusen compete at a tournament in California's Inland Empire; her mother had first told her that girls do not wrestle, then relented.[5](https://www.mmafighting.com/2018/8/31/17796696/tatiana-suarezs-undefeated-record-goes-far-beyond-simple-wins-and-losses/) She won National High School Wrestler of the Year twice and joined the inaugural women's wrestling team at [Lindenwood University](https://www.edgepedia.org/lindenwood-university).[1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez) Competing under her stepfather's surname Padilla, she won silver and bronze medals in the 59-kilo category at successive World Junior Championships in 2007 and 2008, and a pair of bronze medals at 55 kilos at the World Championships in 2008 and 2010.[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarez-its-long-way-top-ufc-312) By 2011 she was ranked No. 3 in the world and No. 1 in the United States, living at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.[5](https://www.mmafighting.com/2018/8/31/17796696/tatiana-suarezs-undefeated-record-goes-far-beyond-simple-wins-and-losses/)
## Cancer and the end of the Olympic path
In 2011, at age 20, Suarez sought medical attention for what she thought was a shoulder injury, and an MRI of her neck revealed a node on her thyroid that proved cancerous, with cancerous cells also found in her lymph nodes; she underwent thyroid surgery, radiation, and iodine treatment.[5](https://www.mmafighting.com/2018/8/31/17796696/tatiana-suarezs-undefeated-record-goes-far-beyond-simple-wins-and-losses/) The injury and cancer diagnosis cost her a shot at the 2012 Olympics, and her recovery took about eighteen months before she was cleared.[1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez) • [5](https://www.mmafighting.com/2018/8/31/17796696/tatiana-suarezs-undefeated-record-goes-far-beyond-simple-wins-and-losses/) Around 2013, at age 23, she began training at Millennia MMA in Rancho Cucamonga, and her coach Marcelo Mafra early on entered her in a jiu-jitsu tournament, which she won despite not knowing a single submission beforehand.[5](https://www.mmafighting.com/2018/8/31/17796696/tatiana-suarezs-undefeated-record-goes-far-beyond-simple-wins-and-losses/)
## MMA career
After a 2-0 amateur record, Suarez turned professional in July 2014 at Gladiator Challenge: Night of the Champions.[6](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/5-Things-You-Might-Not-Know-About-Tatiana-Suarez-156139) • [1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez) She earned a place on Season 23 of *The Ultimate Fighter*, submitting JJ Aldrich in the quarterfinals and [Kate Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/kate-jackson) in the semifinals before defeating Amanda Cooper with a first-round D'Arce choke in the finale in 2016.[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarezs-moment-finally-arrives-ufc-312) • [5](https://www.mmafighting.com/2018/8/31/17796696/tatiana-suarezs-undefeated-record-goes-far-beyond-simple-wins-and-losses/) Her UFC debut came on July 9, 2016, and a unanimous decision over Viviane Pereira started her Octagon career with a win.[1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez) • [3](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarez-its-long-way-top-ufc-312)
**Rise through the strawweight division.** Suarez submitted future flyweight champion [Alexa Grasso](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexa-grasso) with a rear-naked choke at 2:44 of the first round in Santiago, Chile, in May 2018, then stopped former strawweight champion [Carla Esparza](https://www.edgepedia.org/carla-esparza) by strikes at 4:33 of the third round at [UFC 228](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-228) in September 2018.[1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez)
**Injuries and the long layoff.** Suarez aggravated her neck in the Nunes win, and after recovering from that she suffered a knee injury in July 2021 that canceled a planned [UFC 266](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-266) bout with [Roxanne Modafferi](https://www.edgepedia.org/roxanne-modafferi) and kept her out of the cage until 2023, a gap of more than four years.[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarez-its-long-way-top-ufc-312) She has said that in her comeback fight she had to be restrained in her grappling and wrestling because twisting motions aggravated her back.[7](https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/7/11/23775074/tatiana-suarez-reveals-lingering-back-issues-in-comeback-fight-touts-recovery-for-ufc-nashville) She returned in February 2023 with a second-round guillotine choke of Montana De La Rosa in a flyweight bout, then moved back to strawweight five months later and submitted former champion [Jéssica Andrade](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-andrade) with a guillotine at 1:31 of the second round.[1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez) • [3](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarez-its-long-way-top-ufc-312) Planned bouts with Amanda Lemos and Virna Jandiroba were scrapped in 2024.[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarez-its-long-way-top-ufc-312)
**Title shot and aftermath.** At UFC 312 on February 8, 2025, Suarez challenged [Zhang Weili](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhang-weili) for the UFC strawweight title and lost a five-round unanimous decision, her first professional defeat.[1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez) She rebounded with a three-round unanimous decision over Amanda Lemos at Noche UFC on September 13, 2025, and in her most recent fight, at [UFC 327](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-327) on April 11, 2026, she submitted Loopy Godinez with a rear-naked choke at 2:29 of the second round.[1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez)
## Fighting style
Suarez's game is built on wrestling and grappling. MMA coach Danny Castillo, chief corner for title challenger [Yan Xiaonan](https://www.edgepedia.org/yan-xiaonan), described her as very good in open freestyle and collegiate wrestling situations and also strong in the clinch with Greco-style wrestling, noting four submission finishes in the UFC not counting her TUF run.[8](https://www.ufc.com/news/coach-conversation-zhang-weili-vs-tatiana-suarez-ufc-312) Her record reflects that emphasis: 7 of her 13 wins are by submission, including two rear-naked chokes, three guillotines, an armbar, and a D'Arce choke, against 2 by knockout and 4 by decision.[1](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez) She has said she enjoys scrambles and can feel opponents breaking before they notice it themselves.[5](https://www.mmafighting.com/2018/8/31/17796696/tatiana-suarezs-undefeated-record-goes-far-beyond-simple-wins-and-losses/)
## References
1. [Tatiana Suarez, UFC athlete page](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/tatiana-suarez)
2. [Tatiana Suarez, Tapology fighter page](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/63005-tatiana-suarez)
3. [Tatiana Suarez: It's A Long Way To The Top, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarez-its-long-way-top-ufc-312)
4. [Tatiana Suarez's Moment Finally Arrives, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/tatiana-suarezs-moment-finally-arrives-ufc-312)
5. [Tatiana Suarez's undefeated record goes far beyond wins and losses, MMA Fighting (2018)](https://www.mmafighting.com/2018/8/31/17796696/tatiana-suarezs-undefeated-record-goes-far-beyond-simple-wins-and-losses/)
6. [5 Things You Might Not Know About Tatiana Suarez, Sherdog](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/5-Things-You-Might-Not-Know-About-Tatiana-Suarez-156139)
7. [Tatiana Suarez reveals lingering back issues in comeback fight, MMA Fighting (2023)](https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/7/11/23775074/tatiana-suarez-reveals-lingering-back-issues-in-comeback-fight-touts-recovery-for-ufc-nashville)
8. [Coach Conversation: Zhang Weili vs Tatiana Suarez, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/coach-conversation-zhang-weili-vs-tatiana-suarez-ufc-312)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Mixed martial arts › Flyweight and strawweight fighters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license