Tatiana Suarez expressed her desire to fight Rose Namajunas, a top UFC fighter, although a recent report of Namajunas moving up to the flyweight division might affect this potential match-up, a decision Suarez jokingly referred to as a possible dodge from Namajunas.
Tatiana Suarez, a notable competitor in UFC, does not harbor any personal resentment against Rose Namajunas. Nevertheless, Suarez yearns for an opportunity to challenge herself against world-class competitors like Namajunas. This aspiration, however, seemed to have taken a backseat recently when news broke of Namajunas moving to the flyweight division for a match against Manon Fiorot, scheduled to take place at UFC Paris in September. Around the same time, Suarez also revealed her decision to shift back to the strawweight division after a significant injury-induced pause, during which she competed at 125 pounds.
Expressing her thoughts on the developments, Suarez stated on The MMA Hour, “It’s really the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve been wanting to fight her. Because I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m back to 115 – maybe I could fight Rose,’ and it’s like, she’s going back to 125. I’m like, crazy.” She also humorously insinuated that Namajunas might be avoiding her, stating “I think she totally dodged me. No, I’m messing. Not at all. I think this was her plan all along. I wouldn’t even say that if I thought that. Whenever I say I want to fight her, it’s not because I want to go beat her up, or something like that, I don’t like her. I just think she’s such a good fighter. Like, I’ll watch her and I’m amazed because of how great she is.”
Namajunas’ switch to the flyweight division came after more than a year since she relinquished the strawweight title to Carla Esparza. The strategy Namajunas and her longtime partner and corner Pat Barry adopted for the title bout, considered by many to lack dynamism, drew widespread criticism. Nonetheless, Namajunas expressed contentment with her performance. Despite the change in circumstances, Suarez’s inclination to go up against Namajunas has not waned. She expressed, “I’m thinking, ‘Well, I want to fight the best of the best.’ I wanna fight the best people because obviously that means that I’m the best when I beat them. Or even if I don’t beat them, I still shared the cage with an amazing mixed martial artist.”
Suarez, who has repeatedly faced challenges during training due to a series of serious neck, back and knee injuries, had returned to the ring as a flyweight competitor in February after a hiatus of four years and secured a submission win against Montana De La Rosa with a commanding performance. She went on to explain that her motivation to contend with Namajunas is fueled by her competitive spirit. She disclosed, “It’s all about the competition for me. It’s not about wins, losses, nothing like that. It’s about competition, testing myself – that’s the stuff that I thrive on. I do it every day in the gym.”