UFC 312: Zhang Weili Dominates Tatiana Suarez to Retain Women’s Strawweight Title

China’s UFC women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili underscored her greatness in the UFC’s 115-pound division with a dominant performance to defeat previously undefeated challenger Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312.

The two elite strawweights went head to head in the co-main event in Sydney, Australia in a fight that saw many pundits, and some bookmakers, favoring first-time challenger Suarez heading into the fight.

Zhang Weili and Tatiana Suarez face off at the ceremonial weigh-ins ahead of UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia

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But those pre-fight prognostications were proved emphatically wrong as Zhang produced a performance that reminded the world of her mastery of all of the martial arts as her well-rounded game proved just too much for Suarez at Quodos Bank Arena.

Suarez started solidly and secured an early takedown on the champion, but despite having a strong top position, she wasn’t able to do much with a position, and a brief guillotine choke attempt was easily defended by Zhang.

Zhang, perhaps boosted by the knowledge that she was able to snuff out Suarez’s threat on the mat, pushed forward more aggressively in Round 2, and dominated most of the round with her striking. But it wasn’t until the third round when the champion made a real breakthrough.

A huge punch from Zhang early in Round 3 put Suarez on unsteady legs as the champion’s speed and punch power put the challenger in big trouble. Somehow, Suarez managed to survive, but found it increasingly difficult to make any inroads, with her takedown attempts falling short, and Zhang punishing them with nasty knees and elbows in the clinch.

Zhang continued her dominance into the championship rounds as she pushed the pace on the tiring challenger and became the first fighter to land a takedown on Suarez in the UFC. She then moved into position to lock up an arm-triangle choke, but Suarez stayed calm and managed to escape.

However, she wasn’t able to get to her feet, or move into a dominant position, as Zhang dominated the grappling ace on the mat through the penultimate round.

And as the fight moved into the final round, Zhang took advantage of Suarez’s desperate attempts to take her to the mat by reversing the challenger’s attempt and finishing on top.

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It meant there was no suspense at the final horn, as Zhang climbed the cage in celebration, while a crestfallen Suarez returned to her corner to be consoled by her team.

The judges scored the bout 49-46, 49-46, 49-45 for Zhang, who improved her record to 26 wins, three losses, and registered her third successive defense of the strawweight title.