Tatiana Yadira Suarez Padilla (born December 19, 1990) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

with a background in

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

who competes in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). She was the strawweight tournament winner in the 23rd season of

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

Background

Suarez has Mexican ancestry. She started wrestling before her fourth birthday, as her older brother wrestled and she insisted that her mother let her wrestle too. She graduated from Northview High School before attending

Lindenwood University Lindenwood University is a private university in St. Charles, Missouri. Founded in 1827 by George Champlin Sibley and Mary Easton Sibley as The Lindenwood School for Girls, it is the second-oldest higher-education institution west of the Missis ...

. She is a two-time bronze medalist in the world championships of freestyle wrestling. In 2011, she was ranked the number one freestyle wrestler in the US at . While training for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

in London, Suarez suffered a neck injury, which derailed her Olympic aspirations. An

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

and CAT scan not only revealed a bothersome disc in her neck, but a cancerous growth on her thyroid. Suarez underwent radiation therapy and had her

thyroid The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans it is in the neck and consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by a thin band of tissue called the thyroid isthmus. The thy ...

and several

lymph node A lymph node, or lymph gland, is a kidney-shaped organ of the lymphatic system and the adaptive immune system. A large number of lymph nodes are linked throughout the body by the lymphatic vessels. They are major sites of lymphocytes that inclu ...

s removed. After successful treatment, her

thyroid cancer Thyroid cancer is cancer that develops from the tissues of the thyroid gland. It is a disease in which cells grow abnormally and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can include swelling or a lump in the neck. C ...

was gone and she eventually began to train again. Suarez started practicing

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

, which led her to discovering

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Suarez began training MMA in 2013 and made her amateur debut in February 2014 defeating Elizabeth Rodriguez by TKO in the first round. She fought again only one month later and defeated Jessica Pryor by unanimous decision before deciding to turn pro. Suarez made her successful professional MMA debut in July 2014 in the Gladiator Challenge promotion defeating Tyra Parker by unanimous decision. She returned in April 2015 and submitted Carolina Alvarez by armbar in the first round. She made her final appearance for the promotion in August 2015 defeating Arline Coban by TKO in the second round. This victory earned her the Gladiator Challenge championship in the California State Championship Series.

''The Ultimate Fighter 23''

Suarez was chosen as a participant on the 23rd season of the reality show ''

''. In her fight to get into the house she defeated Chel-c Bailey by unanimous decision. Her dominant performance caused her to be selected as the number one overall pick by coach

Cláudia Gadelha Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha (; born December 7, 1988), is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the Women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 2022, Gadelha works for the Ultimate Fightin ...

. In the quarter-finals she faced Joanna Jędrzejczyk's number one pick and

Invicta FC Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is currentl ...

veteran

JJ Aldrich JJ Aldrich (born September 29, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. She is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and has fought for Invicta FC. Background Aldrich was born to a ho ...

. She submitted Aldrich in the second round by rear naked choke, advancing her to the semi-finals. In her third fight she faced Team Claudia teammate

Kate Jackson Lucy Kate Jackson (born October 29, 1948) is an American actress and television producer, known for her television roles as Sabrina Duncan in the series '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1979) and Amanda King in the series ''Scarecrow and Mrs. Kin ...

. She submitted Jackson in the first round by guillotine choke and advanced to the live finale.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Suarez faced Team Claudia teammate

Amanda Cooper Amanda Bobby Brundage (née Cooper, born October 22, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Strawweight division of the Invicta Fighting Championships (Invicta FC) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She ...

in the finals on July 8, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale. She won the fight by D'Arce choke in the first round to become the strawweight tournament winner. Suarez was expected to face

Juliana Lima Juliana de Lima Carneiro (born March 15, 1982) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist. She has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Invicta Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts career Early caree ...

at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov on . However, Suarez pulled out of the fight on November 23 citing injury and was replaced by

. Suarez faced

Viviane Pereira Viviane "Sucuri' Pereira (born August 8, 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and competes in strawweight division. She last competed for Invicta Fighting Championships. Professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Pereira has also fought ...

on November 11, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Pettis. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Suarez faced

Alexa Grasso Karen Alexa Grasso Montes (born August 9, 1993) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in the flyweight division. She is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of March 29, 2022, she is #5 in the UFC women's ...

on May 19, 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 129 ''UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 129'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 19, 2018, at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile. Background The event m ...

. She won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round one. Suarez faced

Carla Esparza Carla Kristen Esparza (born October 10, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is a former two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champio ...

on September 8, 2018 at

UFC 228 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. She won the fight via TKO in the third round. Suarez faced

Nina Ansaroff Nina Ann Nunes (; born December 3, 1985) is an American former mixed martial artist who most competed in the women's flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Nunes was born and raised in Weston, Florida. Her materna ...

on June 8, 2019 at

UFC 238 ''UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 8, 2019 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Bantamweight Champi ...

. She won the fight by unanimous decision. Suarez was expected to return from an extended hiatus and face

Roxanne Modafferi Roxanne Vincenta Modafferi (born September 24, 1982) is an American retired mixed martial artist, who most recently fought for the UFC. Though she last fought in the flyweight division, she has fought in multiple weight classes in her career. A p ...

in a flyweight bout on September 25, 2021 at

UFC 266 ''UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 25, 2021 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United S ...

. However, Suarez was pulled from the event due to injury, and she was replaced by

Taila Santos Taila Santos (born June 22, 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of June 13, 2022, she is #2 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings, and as of November 15, 202 ...

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Strawweight winner. **

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(one time) vs.

* Gladiator Challenge ** Gladiator Challenge Flyweight Champion (one time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 8–0 ,

Nina Nunes Nina Ann Nunes (; born December 3, 1985) is an American former mixed martial artist who most competed in the women's flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Nunes was born and raised in Weston, Florida. Her materna ...

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 ,

, TKO (punches and elbows) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:33 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:44 ,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, Chile , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Pettis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 ,

, Submission (D'Arce choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:43 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Arline Coban , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge: California State Championship Series , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:48 , ,

San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( ; ; Spanish for " St. Hyacinth") is a city in Riverside County, California. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, to its north. The mountains associated with the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Carolina Alvarez , Submission (armbar) , Gladiator Challenge: California State Championship Series , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Tyra Parker , Decision (unanimous) , Gladiator Challenge: Night of the Champions , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rancho Mirage, California Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. Incorporated in 1973 and located ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , rowspan=3 , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:52 , rowspan=3 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:14 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Chel-c Bailey , Decision (unanimous) , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Jessica Pryor , Decision (unanimous) , Spartan Spar Promotions , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:00 ,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Elizabeth Rodriguez , TKO (punches) , Armoured Wings 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:19 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, United States ,

Wrestling record

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:80%; text-align:left;" , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 10–4 , align=left , Maria Gurova , Fall , rowspan=5, September 9, 2010 , rowspan=5, 2010 World Championship , rowspan=5,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 9–4 ,

Um Ji-eun Um Ji-Eun (born 18 May 1987, in Incheon) is a South Korean freestyle wrestler. She competed in the freestyle 55 kg event at the 2012 Summer Olympics and was eliminated in the qualifications by Marwa Amri Marwa Al-Amri ( ar, مروى الع� ...

, 1–0, 5-4 , - , Loss , style="text-align:center;", 8–4 ,

Saori Yoshida is a Japanese former freestyle wrestler. Starting in 1998 she won almost every major competition, including three Olympic Games, four Asian Games, and 13 world championships, and became the most decorated athlete in freestyle wrestling history. ...

, 0–3, 0–7 , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 8–3 , Ana Maria Pavăl , 1–3, 3–3, 6–0 , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 7–3 , Zalina Sidakova , 2–0, 7–4 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Loss , style="text-align:center;", 6–3 ,

Alena Filipava Alena Piatrouna Filipava ( be, Алена Пятроўна Філіпава; born October 10, 1987, in Minsk) is an amateur Belarusian freestyle wrestler, who played for the women's featherweight category. She won the bronze medal at the 2009 W ...

, 2–5, 0–3 , rowspan=4, September 24, 2009 , rowspan=4, 2009 World Championships , rowspan=4,

Herning Herning () is a Danish town in the Central Denmark Region of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality. Herning has a population of 50,565 (1 January 2022)Sona Ahmadli , 0–1, 1–2 , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 6–1 ,

Geeta Phogat Geeta Phogat (born 15 December 1988) is a freestyle wrestler who won India's first ever gold medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games in 2010. She is also the first Indian female wrestler to have qualified for the Olympic Summer Games. Per ...

, Fall , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 5–1 , Gudrun Høie , 3–0, 6–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 4–1 , Ana Maria Pavăl , 5–4 , rowspan=6, October 11, 2008 , rowspan=6, 2008 World Championship , rowspan=6,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, - , Loss , style="text-align:center;", 3–1 , Tetyana Lazareva , 2–5 , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 3–0 , Tatyana Grigorieva , 5–2 , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 2–0 , Rivera Velazquez , 8–1 , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 1–0 , Sofia Poumpouridou , 6–1

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Suarez, Tatiana 1990 births Living people American female sport wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Mixed martial artists from California American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent American female mixed martial artists Strawweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Covina, California World Wrestling Championships medalists American sportspeople of Mexican descent Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters 21st-century American women