Weili Zhang successfully defended her UFC Strawweight Title against Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312, securing a dominant victory via unanimous decision.
The UFC 312 co-main event saw the undefeated Tatiana Suarez finally get her first shot at UFC gold against Strawweight Champion Weili Zhang . Zhang kicked off her second reign with the promotion's strawweight title after a submission win over Carla Esparza at UFC 281. She followed that performance with a title defense against Amanda Lemos and most recently defeated her Chinese compatriot Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300.
Suarez, who joined the promotion in 2016 with considerable hype, was hampered by various injuries but secured a long-awaited title shot after a victory over former strawweight titleholder Jessica Andrade in 2023. The American entered UFC 312 as a small favorite to unseat the champion. Suarez had little difficulty landing an early takedown, leading to significant top control time before attempting a guillotine choke and spending the final minute on her back. Zhang had a chance to land some kicks early in the second round before Suarez forced her to the fence. However, the champion managed to stifle several takedown attempts during the round and started to open up with ground and pound from top position. Zhang continued to find success stuffing the challenger's takedowns while also visibly rocking Suarez with some big shots. In the fourth round, Zhang landed a takedown of her own and nearly ended things with what looked to be a tight arm triangle choke. Suarez entered the final round needing a finish, but Zhang dominated the challenger to secure her third successful title defense
UFC Weili Zhang Tatiana Suarez Strawweight Championship MMA
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