Tatiana Suarez walked out of UFC 327 with a statement win and a new priority. After submitting Loopy Godinez by second-round choke and becoming the first fighter to stop her in MMA competition, Suarez says her next fight will have to wait until she understands what went wrong with her body during camp.
Suarez, a thyroid cancer survivor who had her thyroid removed, revealed she battled serious fatigue throughout the buildup to UFC 327 and intends to pursue medical follow-ups before starting another training camp. "I had a really long camp and things happen during camps and stuff, so I'm just trying to heal up with all of those things and make sure when I go back to training I'm 100 percent healthy," she said.
"I really struggled this camp with energy this camp, and I don't know if it was because I was training so hard and I'm now going to go ahead and try to figure those things outs when I go into the next camp, I don't have that issue," Suarez added, noting her history with cancer and the absence of a thyroid. "That is a challenge for the regular person, let alone a high-level athlete."
With Mackenzie Dern now holding the UFC strawweight title and contenders such as Suarez, Virna Jandiroba and Gillian Robertson awaiting clarity, the division’s next moves remain uncertain. Suarez is focused on being fully ready when her call comes: "I don't know what's going to happen with the division. That's why I'm making sure if they do bring a fight to the table that I'm going to be ready for the fight and figure some stuff out and make sure I'm healthy for another camp."
