Warning: This article contains media with a disturbing injury to a person’s leg. Scroll down at your own risk.
Tatiana Suarez will likely always have a souvenir to remind herself of her first failed shot at the UFC strawweight title.
After years of being positioned as an inevitable future UFC champion, Suarez suffered a lopsided decision loss to strawweight titleholder Zhang Weili this past Saturday at UFC 312. Suarez was not only outstruck by a significant margin, she was also outmuscled and outwrestled — two areas where she was assumed to have the edge over her championship foe.
In addition to significant facial damage, Suarez suffered a grisly gash on her right leg during the bout following an early grappling exchange against the cage fence. On Tuesday, three days after her first professional loss, Suarez unveiled the aftermath of the wound by showing off her stitched up leg on Instagram, which can be seen below — though be warned, it’s not for the squeamish.
Suarez (10-1) also issued her first remarks on the loss Tuesday on social media, vowing to continue pursuing her dream of one day becoming a UFC champion.
“Champions don’t show up to get everything they want; they show up to give everything they have.” And that’s what I’ll do every single time. No matter what! I love it all. Win, lose or draw, I’m right where I want to be. Doing what I love to do every single day of my life. I have the best people around me that love me for me. Living the dream! It’s all about the right mindset and life has taught me time and time again. I’ve experienced it all thrill, agony, happiness, heartbreak. That’s what life is all about. I’m blessed to have this life. And I’ll share these experiences with my children and the future generations to come. Thank you to my friends, family, teammates, coaches and fiancé for being there every single time no matter what. Love you guys! On to the next!
Suarez, 34, had been discussed in title conversations since winning “The Ultimate Fighter 23” with a dominant showing on the UFC reality series in 2016. A one-time USA wrestling hopeful whose Olympic dreams were dashed due to a cancer diagnosis, Suarez had been peerless throughout her Octagon run until she met Zhang, defeating an array of former and future UFC champions — Jessica Andrade, Alexa Grasso and Carla Esparza — on her road to UFC 312, only for injuries to repeatedly halt her momentum and limit her in-cage appearances. Suarez competed just five times in her first four years in the UFC, then was stuck on the sidelines from 2019-23. Injuries once again prevented her from competing in 2024.
If Suarez heals up and is able to compete again in 2025, it will mark only the third instance of her nine-year UFC career when she is able to fight more than once in a calendar year.
