Tatiana Suarez returns from injury layoff, faces Montana De La Rosa at UFC Fight Night 220
After nearly four years away, Tatiana Suarez is set for her long-awaited UFC return.
Recovered from injury, Suarez (8-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) will fight Montana De La Rosa (12-7-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 220. The card takes place Feb. 25 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the booking recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. De La Rosa announced the booking Friday on her OnlyFans.
Suarez, 32, is pegged by some as a potential future champion. In 2016, she won “The Ultimate Fighter 23” when she defeated Amanda Cooper by first-round submission. Consecutive victories over Viviane Pereira, Alexa Grasso, and Carla Esparza followed.
Her most recent bout took place in June 2019 when she moved to flyweight and defeated Nina Nunes by unanimous decision. After the fight, Suarez suffered a neck injury that knocked her out of action for two years.
In 2021, she was booked against Roxanne Modafferi. However, she suffered a knee injury and withdrew from the bout.
De La Rosa, 27, looks for consistency. She is 1-1-1 in her most recent three appearances. Her UFC victories include Ariane Lipski and Rachael Ostovich. She most recently competed in April when she lost to Maycee Barber by unanimous decision.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Feb. 25 includes:
Nikita Krylov vs. Ryan Spann
Montana De La Rosa vs. Tatiana Suarez
Nurullo Aliev vs. Rafael Alves
Trevor Peek vs. Alex Reyes
Jordan Leavitt vs. Victor Martinez
Hailey Cowan vs. Ailin Perez
Denys Bondar vs. Ode Osbourne
Cortney Casey vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
Darrius Flowers vs. Erick Gonzalez
Lucas Almeida vs. Andre Fili
Don’Tale Mayes vs. Augusto Sakai
Brendan Allen vs. Andre Muniz
Yohan Lainesse vs. Mike Malott
Trevor Peek vs. Alex Reyes
Nurullo Aliev vs. Rafael Alves
