UFC 238: Tatiana Suarez thinks she has 115 title shot edge over Michelle Waterson
CHICAGO – Tatiana Suarez beat Nina Ansaroff with a unanimous decision Saturday night on the preliminary card at UFC 238 in Chicago.
Take a look inside the fight with Suarez, the Season 23 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” who now wants a title shot in the women’s strawweight division.
Result: Tatiana Suarez def. Nina Ansaroff via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Suarez (8-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC), Ansaroff (10-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC)
Key stat: Suarez stayed unbeaten, but had to go the distance for the second straight fight.
Suarez on the fight’s key moment
“The thing I was surprised by was how she could just tie me down, but it was really hard to posture because of my neck. … She did a really good job of hanging on to me and making it hard for me to let my hands go on the ground.”
Suarez on injuring her neck in the fight
“I hurt it the first round. I powered through it. I’m very proud of myself for dealing with this injury the entire fight because I use my neck a lot. … I’m constantly driving with my head and stuff like that. It was really difficult because my arm was numb for most of the fight, but I did it – I pushed through.”
Suarez on what she wants next
“I want to heal up my neck and make sure it’s good, and then fight. I’m sure I could fight again, but I think I’d be a better fighter if I had a good neck. … I think I deserve (a strawweight title shot) more than (Michelle Waterson) does. But I’m going to get it checked out, make sure it’s good, and I don’t think it’ll take that long for it to heal. … I feel like I’m a better candidate for (a title shot).”
To hear more from Suarez, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
And for complete coverage of UFC 238, visit the UFC Events section of the site.