"With Weili Zhang temporarily in another division, the Ultimate Fighting Championship 's strawweight title picture may be wide open. Two-time champ Zhang surrendered her 115-pound belt after beating Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312 in early 2025. When she relocated to challenge Valentina Shevchenko at flyweight, she left behind a throne later assumed by Mackenzie Dern after she outworked Virna Jandiroba. Suarez (11-1), in her second outing since suffering her first pro defeat, has been matched against Lupita Godinez (14-5) at UFC 327."
"Since dropping two to the aforementioned Dern and Jandiroba, Godinez has looked up, with a 2025 campaign that saw her hand raised twice. The woman from Mexico picked up decision nods over Julia Polastri, and most significantly, ex-champ Jessica Andrade to place herself in position to face the top-ranked Suarez. As a professional, "Loopy" has heard the final bell in 16 of her 19 appearances."
"While Suarez has gone the distance in her last two, her finish rate stands at a significantly higher 64%-compared to Godinez at 21%. The lone blemish in Suarez' career came against Zhang, with the California native winning her first 10 pro outings. On her way up, she too bested Andrade, while also picking up victories over elite names like Alexa Grasso and Carla Esparza."
Weili Zhang moved to flyweight after defeating Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312 and vacated the strawweight title. Mackenzie Dern later captured the vacant strawweight belt by outworking Virna Jandiroba. Tatiana Suarez (11-1) will face Lupita Godinez (14-5) at UFC 327 on April 11, likely at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Both fighters enter the bout with recent victories, and the winner could earn a championship opportunity. Godinez has decision wins over Julia Polastri and former champion Jessica Andrade and carries a two-fight win streak. Suarez's only professional loss came to Zhang; her career includes victories over Andrade, Alexa Grasso, and Carla Esparza.
Read at Sherdog
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]